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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25816093">See you again, soon.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diamond_Sylvie/pseuds/Diamond_Sylvie'>Diamond_Sylvie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Remember us? [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Apologies, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Dream can play the piano, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, I will now refer to him as 'Piano man Dream', Ice Skating, M/M, Memory Loss, Moving, Muffins, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, Not youtubers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Pining, Self-Worth Issues, Summer Vacation, Swearing, mentions of bullying, small town</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:21:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,051</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25816093</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diamond_Sylvie/pseuds/Diamond_Sylvie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when two old friends find each other after more than a decade later?</p><p>And what happens if one of them doesn't remember the other?</p><p>~</p><p>Bad returns to the town he lived in when he was twelve. Or so he's been told. He has no memory of what happened in that year.</p><p>Skeppy still remembers.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Zak Ahmed &amp; Darryl Noveschosch, Zak Ahmed &amp; Sapnap, Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Remember us? [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1912594</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>111</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>440</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. What happened when I was here so long ago?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Bad drummed his fingers on the edge of the steering wheel, frowning slightly at the heavy fog that had engulfed his car and the highway surrounding it. He'd already been driving for 4 hours, and his foot was starting to fall asleep after being still for so long. Rain began to splash on his windshield, and he flicked on the swipers, still trying to peer through the mist. A sign for a gas station appeared, then vanished behind him. Bad glanced down at his gas, noticing it was running a bit low. He turned into the exit, deciding he should get something to eat along with fueling his car. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He parked the vehicle in front of the small convenience store, exiting and taking a moment to stretch and breathe in the sun-warmed air. He had gotten an early start, leaving his apartment at 6am to start his trip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad had once lived in the town he was going to visit, although his memories of living there were extremely blurry, more so than usual. From the few things he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> remember, it was a small community on the outskirts of another, slightly bigger, town. He vaguely recalled a skating rink, as well as a classroom. The skating rink confused him. Bad had never been much of an athlete, and he didn't particularly love skating. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe something happened there? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He wondered, not for the first time as he paid for his sandwich and walked back outside. As he climbed into his car and leaned his head against the headrest, his hand suddenly felt warmer, as if someone was holding it. The sunlight shone through the windshield and onto the dashboard, some dripping onto his hand. He relaxed slightly, knowing it was just the sun. Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated with himself, for not being able to remember. Sighing, he popped his neck and shifted the car into drive again, preparing for the long and boring ride ahead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stopped in a driveway, nearly 6 hours later, and double checked the address of the house in front of him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This should be it.</span>
  </em>
  <span> The green-eyed man stepped out of his car, leaving his suitcase in the backseat. When he rang the doorbell, it opened quickly, a woman stepping out. They had the same fluffy reddish-brown hair and pointed chin. The woman gave him a warm smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You made it!" She leaned forward and gave Bad a hug. He returned it awkwardly, not used to physical affection. "How was the drive?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chuckled nervously. "It was good, Aunt Paula. Thanks for asking." He pulled away from the hug. "Can I bring my stuff in?" He gestured to the luggage in the car behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, of course! The guest room is right over there." She pointed to a door off of a short hallway. "Do you need help?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad smiled. "I should be fine." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room was quite cozy, with dark blue walls and white-painted furniture. A double bed with a gray comforter was pushed up against the far corner. Another door led off from the bedroom, and Bad assumed it was a closet of sorts. The dresser was right by the door, a desk and straight backed chair next to that. A few pictures of flowers hung on the walls. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad dragged his suitcase into a corner and then opened it. He stared at the clothes inside, then flipped the top closed once again and lay down on the bed, closing his eyes. The drive had been exhausting and he just wanted to rest for a bit. Slowly, the thoughts stopped pinging around his head and dissolved as he fell asleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He awoke to knocking and his aunt poking her head into the doorway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Dinner is ready, if you're hungry." The smell of chicken hit him, and he scrambled up, rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes and stretched. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks for coming. I'm sure you had something else to do for the summer." She said after they had taken a seat at the table with their food. "Too bad my back is almost completely useless when it comes to lifting heavy things. Otherwise you wouldn't have had to come." She looked down at her plate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I didn't have anything planned anyway." Not exactly true, he had a few things planned, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to see his grandparents again. Even when he was just a child, he understood that family was the only thing that remained pretty much the same throughout everything in his life, like a rock surrounded by bustling waves. His grandparents needed to move to a senior home, after his grandfather had broken his leg slipping in the bath. His grandma didn't need to move as well, but she insisted that she goes to take care of him. Bad lived about 9 hours away, so he had never visited, apart from when he was 12 and lived there. They finished their dinner in comfortable silence, Bad bringing the plates to the kitchen after Paula showed him where it was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He returned to the bedroom and closed the door lightly, slumping over and leaning his head against it. A small part of him was nervous. The town was relatively small, and if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> run into someone he once knew, surely they would be angry at him? Had he even made any friends? It was almost as if he didn't. After all, what was the point of being friends with someone if you didn't even remember?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed and walked over to his suitcase, which he opened with his foot and bent down, putting some of the clothing away before pulling out his pyjamas and crawling into bed, tired despite the nap he took earlier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad looked up at the fading blue sky, shrouded by a thin layer of cottony clouds. He stretched his arms up, easing the muscles. Bad had been helping his grandparents pack for the last few days, arriving at 10am sharp each day. So far, they had packed down the dining room and his grandmother's cabinet. While Bad did not like packing (it always meant moving again), he had done it many times before and had helped his parents with most of it. He knew how to set up the boxes properly, so that they didn't collapse when you lifted them up, and where to stick the tape. The hardest part had been deciding what to take with them. His grandma, as much as Bad loved her, could be quite indecisive. He sighed, rolling his neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A bird flew above him, flapping its small wings. The blue feathers on its head and back reflected the orange-red light of the sunset; a flying flame. It landed on a tree on the other side of the street, where a group of men were passing by. There were five; one wearing a blue shirt with brown hair, who was holding hands with a taller man with blonde hair. The other three had dark hair. The first seemed monotone, somehow. The second had a white headband on. The last boy, who was wearing a cobalt-blue hoodie, caught Bad's eye. Even though he was sure he'd never seen him before, he seemed slightly familiar. The group were talking amongst themselves, their conversation clearly filled with banter as they strode down the sidewalk. Bad stared at them, perplexed, when the man wearing the blue hoodie suddenly stopped talking and slowed his pace just a bit so he was a step behind the rest of the group. He looked up as well at the pinkish-purple sky. An angry expression formed on his face. Even though Bad was across the street, he wanted to back up from that anger. It was fierce and violent, but as quickly as it came, it vanished and something softer replaced it. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but whatever it was, it was better than that searing hot anger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of his friends, the one with the white headband, turned around and said something to him. They were close enough that Bad could hear them if he listened closely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay?" The man asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah… yeah. Don't worry, I'm fine. What were we talking about?" They caught up to the rest of the group, out of range of Bad's hearing. He watched them walk away, the man wearing the blue hoodie now looking bubbly again, if not talking as much. Bad turned away, back to the pathway to his aunt’s house, the angry boy still in his mind. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why was he so mad? Is he okay? I wonder what happened to him. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He twisted around, but the group had already gone out of his sight. For some reason, he felt like he had seen them before. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I met them when I lived here? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He sighed and looked to his right, surprised to see his temporary home. Unlocking the door, he stepped through and slipped his shoes off, calling out a quick greeting. His aunt appeared from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Bad. Dinner’s ready.” He nodded and headed to the bathroom. The green-eyed man returned a few minutes later and sat at the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, you don’t have to go to your grandparents’ tomorrow, by the way.” Bad looked up, mouth already filled with food, and tilted his head to the side, a silent question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sighed. “Bad, how long has it been since you’ve gotten here?” He swallowed his food.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um, I think a week or so? Why?” He answered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It has been one whole week that you’ve been doing nothing but helping your grandparents.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, that is the reason I came here right?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is,” Paula agreed. “But it is still summer. Besides,” She grinned. “Don’t you still have friends here? I’m sure at least some of them are still here. Go hang out with them or something tomorrow. I’ll take over for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But-” She interrupted him. “No buts. Just go tomorrow. You deserve it.” Her grin faded into a genuine smile. At this point, he wasn’t even sure he had any friends, at least ones that lived in the town. Still, he didn’t want to disappoint his aunt, so he put on a fake smile and nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad wandered the town, by foot since it was pretty small, and got lost in his thoughts. The humid air stuck to him, making sweat drip down his forehead. Even with the discomfort, passing by some places was enough to pull small memories out, but that just made him more frustrated, having little tiny pieces that wasn't enough to help him figure out the whole picture. A blast of chilly air came from his right, and he looked over to see a couple emerging from a movie theater. He hadn’t realized just how hot he was and how refreshing the cold air was. He quickly stepped inside, breathing in the cold air. The lobby of the movie theater had black walls and red carpet, similar to its auditoriums. Glancing up at the previews of movies, he found one that caught his eye. The bored-looking ticket clerk handed him his ticket and he moved to the correct cinema.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An hour and a half later, he walked back out into the stifling heat, already missing the cool air-condition. Bad closed his eyes against the sunlight, the image of an angry expression etched into the back of his eyelids. He still couldn’t forget it. A silent rage was somewhat of a rarity in Bad’s world. Sometimes he frustrated his friends accidentally <strike>even when he tried so hard not to</strike>, but they were never just… silent. They would yell at him playfully, then get back to whatever they were doing. A drift of cold air hit his back, reminding him that he was still standing in front of the entrance of the movie theater. As he turned to start walking, he thought he could see a flash of cobalt-blue.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And that's the first chapter! I'm still figuring some things out so please bear with me in the meantime :)</p><p>I'm very excited to write this!</p><p>Hope you have a good day, I'm gonna go sleep now</p><p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Reunion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tw: mentions of bullying, mild panic attacks</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Where even are you?” Skeppy held the phone's microphone up to his mouth. He could barely hear his friend’s french accent over the chatter of the crowd surrounding him. When they had suggested the trip back to their town, Skeppy was ecstatic. He hadn’t seen A6d in person since he returned to France after the international student exchange program had ended. His other friend, Sapnap, had gone to another state for university, and was driving back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dude, it says I’m at terminal one! Where are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>at</span>
  </em>
  <span> terminal one!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well I don’t see you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see you either!” Their conversation had escalated into yelling at each other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re supposed to know where this is! You </span>
  <em>
    <span>live </span>
  </em>
  <span>here!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A6d, I do not live in an airport.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" Skeppy could see the other man's shoulders drop as he sighed. "Whatever. I’m calling Dream to pick me up. Maybe he’ll actually know where I am.” He hung up on Skeppy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dark-haired man looked through the sea of people at his friend, who had his back to him. Stealthily, he snuck through the crowd and tapped A6d on the shoulder, making him jump and almost drop his phone in the process. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What- I thought you couldn't find me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pointed to the spot where he was standing a minute prior. "Right there."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jesus christ Skeppy, I've been in America for 10 minutes! Just… help me with the bag. Please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, this is my room." Skeppy spread his arms. "Welcome."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Sapnap had arrived at Skeppy’s house as well, Skeppy had decided to give them a house tour. His room was actually somewhat clean for once, the layer of clothes on the floor picked up and the cups that were usually on his desk in the kitchen. A desk sat opposite to the door and the unmade bed was against the left wall. A shelf was mounted above the desk, holding a variety of things, including a small minecraft grass block and a few framed pictures of when they were younger. The pictures caught Sapnap's eye, and he picked one up carefully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a picture of the five of them at their high school graduation. Skeppy had held the camera, lens pointing towards them. A6d had just turned around, looking surprised. Dream and George were standing shoulder to shoulder to hide their intertwined hands. He was sticking his tongue out at them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, you’ve not grown up in the slightest.” A6d commented, looking over his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut up.” He put the photo back. “By the way, where are we going to sleep?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have an air mattress and the couch. Take your pick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I call the mattress!” Sapnap shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever, I didn’t want the mattress anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A6d is salty!” Skeppy said in a sing-song voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am not!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes you are!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just don’t want the mattress!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap nudged his friend’s side. “And you said I was the one who never grew up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I- Whatever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy pulled out his phone to check the time. “Go unpack or whatever. We’re gonna get dinner with Dream and George in like, an hour.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pretended to be insulted. “Wow, you’re the worst host there ever was.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy grinned. “I’m the best and you know it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy watched as Sapnap pretend-gagged next to Dream and George, who were staring into each other’s eyes (A6d was right, he really hadn't grown up at all). He had a feeling that they were laying on the lovey-dovey act extra thick, just to piss Sapnap off. They had met up at the local diner for dinner, and after saying hello, the group grabbed a booth near the back and ordered. While waiting for their order, they caught up with stories of the different lives they led. Even with thousands of kilometers between them, they still chatted once in a while, but exchanging stories and banter in person was always better, in their opinions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, it’s been awhile.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve seen A6d since he went back to France after graduation." Dream said, arm slung around George’s shoulders. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, long time no see!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Snapmap, how's college going?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dream, I swore I was going to kill you if you called me that again, so now I will.” He said rather calmly, before attempting to playfully strangle Dream. However, George was between them and blocked Sapnap's attack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Intercepted!" He groaned, falling back into his own seat. "But university's going good. It's busy. There's this one time, where…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The story continued on, but Skeppy was only half listening. It felt right, having all five of them reunited again, after so long. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He ignored the part of his brain that yelled about how it would've been, should have been six.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Looking around the booth, he saw his friends' happy faces and let out a relaxed grin as well. He wanted to enjoy the company while it lasted, and he knew his friends wanted the same. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The banter and jokes lingered through the meal, and as they left, a fresh round of stories started.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So then I was like, bro, are you kidding me, and then he just walked off! Said nothing else and just walked off." Skeppy sighed and shook his head. "I haven't seen him since. Wonder what happened to him?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You probably scared him off." A6d replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span>!" Suddenly, he realized what street he was on. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He dropped behind everyone, happiness evaporating within a second. Skeppy stared at the sky and dug his nails into his palms at a desperate attempt to grasp at reality, just so he didn't have a panic attack. There was a good reason why he always, </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> avoided this street, even if it meant a 10-minute detour. Anger flared up from deep inside him, along with a bit of surprise. The anger, he thought, had burned out a long time ago. But it hadn't, and he welcomed it once again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How could you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy felt like he couldn't say the name, not even in his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You lied to me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Were you ever my friend?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I trusted you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The anger faded away, only leaving its shell, hurt, behind. He stood still for a second,  watching his friends go ahead of him. Only Dream and Sapnap knew </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>; A6d was part of the exchange program and George had moved to the town the year after </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> left. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap turned around, probably noticing Skeppy wasn't part of the conversation anymore. He took a few steps back until he was in front of the man with the blue hoodie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay?" He asked Skeppy, looking concerned. He looked at his friends who hadn't noticed a thing and ran his hand through his hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. What were we talking about?" Sapnap looked at him skeptically but hurried his pace to keep up with Skeppy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A6d was talking about his cat, then Dream said his cat was cuter." He gestured at the now bickering duo. "You can see how that went."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy cracked a smile at that. Even when they were still children, they had been the most chaotic group in the neighborhood, possibly in the entire town.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey Skeppy! Where is your house again?" A6d shouted from several steps in front of him. "I forgot and they won't tell me where it is." Both Sapnap and A6d hadn't wanted to stay with Dream and George, and Skeppy was the only other choice. He sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why are you even in the front if you don't know where you're going?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's 'cause you're slow." George called back. Really, they were so close together that they would've heard each other at a normal volume. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I am not slow!" Skeppy started running towards George, who hid behind Dream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"George, what are you, five? Who the hell actually hides behind someone that isn't their mom?" He yelled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap watched his friend try to dodge Dream to get to George, only to get blocked at the last second, sending him stumbling. Something wasn't right with Skeppy, that much he knew. However, what it was, he didn't know. He saved the questions for later, in private.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy was in a classroom.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The one that he was in a long, long time ago.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was unnervingly quiet. The room, as he remembered, was never the loudest </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>he was always the one who caused trouble, the one who was too loud</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>, but there was always some sign of life around him, whether it be a classmate dropping and pencil behind him, or the teacher's heels clicking on the floor as she paced the room. The uniform he was wearing was itchy, and he tried to adjust it, but found that he couldn’t even move his pinky finger. His eyes darted around the room, searching hopelessly for a way, any way to escape the eerily quiet room. Suddenly, his eyes landed on a figure next to a door, one that wasn't there seconds before. He screamed silently for help, for the boy beside the door to notice him, to help. Skeppy knew that he would hear, would help.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He was wrong.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The boy turned to look at him with cold emerald eyes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Then walked out of the door. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy was confused.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>More than confused. Betrayed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He knew that they had made a promise, a promise to never leave each other.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The other boy left him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>As soon as the door closed, it opened again, and more people flooded in. He felt his heart lift up, they were coming to help him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Right?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>All the faces surrounded him, forming a complete circle around him. People he recognized, people he had never seen before, all wearing the same serious look. Lips pressed into a straight line, stares flat.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Under those emotionless masks, they were all laughing at him. Annoyed at him. Angry at him. He didn’t know why, and he couldn’t ask.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He didn’t need to ask. The whispers soon reached his ears. The room was no longer quiet, but maybe he preferred the silence over all the malicious voices.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Why is he so weird?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I know, he’s a total freak. Who else would go around shouting everything?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ugh, he’s so annoying. I can’t believe the teacher paired us up. Now I have to listen to him talk.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They continued to talk, moving around the circle, like Skeppy wasn’t in the room with them. They reminded him of all his faults and mistakes, of everything that he had done wrong.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His stomach dropped at the sight of the last 4 people in the circle.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What if he seriously hurt George?” Dream said, holding the smaller man closer to him. A6d and Sapnap nodded. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We should probably stop being friends with him.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“He’s kinda annoying sometimes.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“How did we even become friends with him in the first place?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“When should we tell him?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’M RIGHT HERE! He wanted to scream, but his lips stayed frozen in place.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’ll tell him tomorrow.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His friends wouldn’t really do this to him, would they? They wouldn’t abandon him?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They wouldn’t.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They had been friends for too long for them to think that.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The room giggled, and said in unison:</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“They’re only friends with you because they pity you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy pictured a blindfold over his eyes. The room grew dark and quiet once again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He slammed his eyes open, grateful to be finally out of that nightmare. His body was shaking violently, stopping every few seconds then starting again. Skeppy reached under his bed, hoping to find a hoodie that had been thrown there and never picked up. His hand grasped soft fabric and he pulled it out. It was a few sizes too small, but it would suffice. As the hoodie warmed him, he tugged the blankets over his head. A few minutes later the shaking gradually stopped and he poked his head out of the mini-tent, burying his face into his pillow and screamed as loud as he dared. After he ran out of breath, he collapsed, limbs still shaky. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Light footsteps sounded behind him and the dark-haired man sat up, eyes wide. “W-who’s there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just me.” Sapnap walked over and sat next to Skeppy. “I heard you screaming. Nightmare?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy was surprised that Sapnap had figured it out so quickly, although there were only a handful of reasons that a person would be screaming into their pillow at 2am.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded. “Did I wake you up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, I was just on twitter.” He held up his phone. “You wanna talk about it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-I…" He hesitated. "I had a nightmare where…” He trailed off. “I was at my old school.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The academy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy nodded. “Yeah. A lot of the people there thought I was weird, because I was so loud. Everyone else was the really smart, perfect student type. That didn’t mean they were actual perfect students, more ‘they got perfect marks and all the teachers liked them.’” He flopped down back on the bed. “I was the one teachers didn’t like. One of them even told me directly that he didn’t like me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.” Sapnap could feel a lump in his throat at the fact that one of his best friends had been treated so horribly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay. Time heals wounds, y’know?” He shrugged, staring at the ceiling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There was another thing too.” He continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was in a classroom, and there was someone beside the door. I tried to call out for them but he just… left.” He sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who was it?” Sapnap asked cautiously. He didn’t want to make his friend feel worse than he already was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He had green eyes.” He stated flatly. “And strawberry blonde hair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap bit his lip. There was only one person who fit the appearance, as far as he knew. “Bad?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yup.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.” He repeated. “He should’ve told you, any one of us, that he was leaving."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… You should go to sleep now. It’s like 3am.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He glanced down at his phone. “It’s 2:20. Not even close to 3.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just go sleep. I’ll be fine if you’re worried about that.” Sapnap nodded and walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. Skeppy shut his eyes again, letting the darkness wash over him and wished that the monsters that weren't his friends, no matter what form they took, would leave him alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thoughts?" A6d asked as they left the dim cinema the next evening. They had spent the afternoon at the mall between the town and the small city, since Sapnap apparently didn't know how to pack for a trip and had only brought one pair of jeans, two shirts, his laptop, and his two chargers. Skeppy had stared in disbelief as his friend opened his almost completely empty suitcase.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"What the actual fuck. Sapnap, you're gonna be here for 3 weeks! Two shirts and one pair of pants is not enough!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I don't know how to pack bags!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"You could've asked me! Or A6d! Or literally anyone!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sapnap looked back at him. "I'll be fine."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"You will not be fine. We are going shopping."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So they went shopping. The two of them drove to the mall. A6d stayed back at the house, claiming he was still jetlagged. After getting enough clothing for 2 weeks, they wandered into the food court for lunch and headed home.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"It was pretty meh." George shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Same." Dream agreed. Skeppy snorted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I bet you didn't even see half of the movie."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span>! I liked the part in the middle."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Which one?" Sapnap challenged. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know, the one where they…" Skeppy's mind drifted away from the conversation, floating through random thoughts as he swayed slightly, a glaze over his eyes. After Sapnap had left his room, he had laid there for the rest of the night, unable to close his eyes without seeing the ghost of the boy who left behind his eyelids, almost like the silhouette had been burned there by a laser.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Needless to say, he hadn't slept very well after that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unknowingly, his eyes had locked onto a man standing outside the glass door. His eyes were closed for a brief second before they opened, revealing bright green. Skeppy's breath caught in his throat and he froze, stopping mid-sway. Those emerald-green eyes were familiar, so familiar, that he recognized them even from a distance. The man turned away after a moment, seeming to not notice his gaze. The fluffy reddish-brown hair bounced slightly with the action, and Skeppy tore his eyes away from the figure who was walking away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That isn't him. He is </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>not</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> back. It's been so long, too long. He isn't back. That guy had the wrong coloured hair. That isn't him. He isn't back, can't be back.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His breathing grew ragged as he repeated the words over and over, muttering them under his breath as he dug his fingers into his scalp. Hands landed on his shoulders, easing him back into reality.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Skeppy?" A6d bent over a little so he was face to face with him. "Are you alright? What happened?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took a couple deep breaths in to steady himself, then nodded. "I'm fine." His friend frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You are very obviously not fine, Skeppy. What happened?" Dream set a hand on A6d's shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We can talk about it later. For now, let's just get back." The French man hesitated, but straightened up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's go, okay?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy nodded again, mouth feeling too stiff to do anything. He let himself be led to the backseat and slumped over, the voice still echoing quietly in his mind. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He can't be here.</span>
  </em>
  <span> This time, a quieter thought interrupted it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But what if he is?</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>IT IS 12:01 I WAS A MINUTE TOO LATE.</p><p>Uh yeah the schedule's gonna be Sundays and Wednesdays </p><p>As you can tell it is now Thursday (at least for me) </p><p>I'll try to not post so late next time :)</p><p>Hope you liked it!</p><p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Muffins and Music</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The song referenced in this chapter is Clair de Lune, by Debussy. Feel free to listen to it as you read!</p><p>https://youtu.be/vG-vmVrHOGE</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was quite odd, really. How could someone even forget a whole year? He shuffled through his memories to try to find something from the several months before he moved to the town, body in autopilot as he made his way back from the movie theater. If he couldn't remember anything directly about the time, then that was the cloeset he could get.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That was after…, before, still before… When was that? … After. That was with Tommy.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He smiled at the chaotic scene that popped up in his mind. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don't get distracted, Bad.</span>
  </em>
  <span> The green-eyed man shook his head to clear the thoughts quickly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wait. Actually, I met him when I was in… 8th grade? That's the year after I moved...,right? Let’s see…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He allowed glimpses from the past flash before his eyes, the sidewalk becoming filled with the moments with his old friends. However, they were wearing light clothing, an indication that it was either spring or early summer. He looked up at the sky (a habit he was developing) and was instead met with the underside of his aunt's porch roof. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad turned the key in the lock and opened the door, letting it shut gently behind him. The TV played softly in the living room where his aunt was sitting. After putting away his keys, he joined her on the couch, a sit-com on the screen in front of him. It was only once the ad break started that she spoke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did you have fun?" She asked, looking over at Bad. He replied with a shrug of his shoulders, eyes still fixed on the screen. The light of the TV bounced off the lens of his glasses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did you find your friends?" He bit his lip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well… No. Can I ask you a question?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Go ahead."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Have you ever… forgotten anyone?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She frowned. "What do you mean? Like forgetting someone for a guest list? I've done that many times, sadly. Doesn't go well."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, like you forgot you knew them."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I mean, I don't think so. How would you even remember that you knew them?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe it would feel like something was missing. Maybe it would leave a hole."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Paula raised an eyebrow. “Speaking from experience?” He fell silent. “I would try to find out why I couldn’t remember first, then go from there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad thought for a moment, contemplating her words. “Yeah. Thanks. I’m gonna go to bed now.” She nodded then turned back to the show.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Four hours later, Bad laid on the double bed, still no closer to sleep than he was when in the living room. At least during the long hours, he had figured out one significant thing. He had gotten a good start and recalled baking a lot, specifically muffins. Turning his phone on, he opened his saved recipes. A chocolate-chip-lemon one (gluten-free, of course) looked particularly good, and he quietly crept to the kitchen to check if his aunt had all the ingredients.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few minutes of rummaging through the pantry and several cabinets, he confirmed that all the ingredients were present and he took them out, along with a bowl and spatula.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Following the directions, he cracked an egg into the bowl, smiling at the shell-free yolk. An image followed it, and he closed his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His younger self stood over a bowl in a kitchen with black counters and dark wooden cabinets. The egg fell into the bowl, no eggshells attached. The boy turned to the kitchen island.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Look! Mom, I did it!" He held up the bowl. His mother looked up from the papers she was organizing and smiled.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Good job! Muffins again?" He nodded. "Why muffins, and not, say… cookies?" She asked.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bad turned back to the countertop and shrugged. "They're hard to make. Helps me forget." The second part was said so softly that he himself could barely hear it. His mother became distracted, shuffling through the documents again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Oh, okay then."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He mixed and measured with his mind still attached to the found memory. It was a piece of the puzzle, but his words implied that he had tried to forget on </span>
  <em>
    <span>purpose</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>But why? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>curious as a kid, but it probably would’ve taken a long, long time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the lined muffin tins were filled to two-thirds of the way up Bad realized that he had a lot more batter than he expected. Probably because he was distracted and not paying the most attention to the recipe. The remaining batter filled two other muffin pans and he slipped them into the warmed oven, still wondering why his past self decided to try (and succeed in) forgetting a whole year.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What- That is a lot of muffins." His aunt walked into the kitchen, eyeing the treats on the cooling rack. The trays had held twelve each, equating to a total thirty-six muffins.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I accidentally made way too many. Did I wake you up?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shook her head. "Nah, I need to take care of some work that my boss just sent to me." The coffee maker whirred to life and she pushed a cup under the dispenser. "What're you going to do with them?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad scratches his head. "To be honest, I'm not really sure."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When his aunt suggested he bring some to his grandparents, he agreed and packed the cooled down muffins into a container, then went to bed, still pondering about the memory.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad headed up the walkway to his grandparents' house, carefully shifting the container in his arms as he knocked on the door. The door was flung open a few seconds later by his grandmother, who stood on the other side. She was wearing a short-sleeved blouse and pair of jeans, along with a pair of slippers. The tv played in the background, presumably by his grandfather. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hello sweetie, how're you?" She stepped aside to let him inside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm good. I brought muffins!" He held up the box. His grandmother smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was wondering what the container was! Why don't you put them in the kitchen, we can have some later." He nodded and set the packet on the counter, then followed her into the spare bathroom, where a couple of boxes already lay.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"These are delicious." She wiped her mouth with a napkin. It was a few hours later, and the bathroom was all ready to go. The sun beat down on the pavement outside, making the water from the sprinkler sizzle and evaporate as it hit the hot concrete. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks! I made too many, so I'll bring some more tomorrow."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She raised an eyebrow. "How much did you make?" When Bad told her the amount, she chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Actually, there's supposed to be a talent show this evening. If you don't mind, you can bring some there. I'm sure they would like some. It's at 7."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad thought for a moment. "That's not a bad idea. I'll have to go get the rest of them." She nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll call them to say that you're coming as well."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And our last performer tonight is Mr. Dream, on the piano. Let’s give him a round of applause, because he came on such short notice that my height was challenged!” He gestured to his short stature and a ripple of laughter wove through the small crowd. They quieted down quickly, though, when a man wearing a white mask with a smiley face painted on it stepped onto the stage and bowed next to the piano, his dirty-blonde hair falling slightly over the mask. Bad watched from his seat in the fifth row as (what did the man say his name was again?) Dream sat down on the piano bench, looking up at the ceiling for a second before his hands touched the keys.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The music seemed to almost flow out of his fingertips, mixing with itself and the silence around it. The melody was slow, but then sped up and </span>
  <em>
    <span>glided</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Closing his eyes, Bad breathed the music in and it swelled in his chest, swirling around pleasantly. A few minutes later, the final chord faded and the audience burst into applause. Bad sat in astonishment for a second or two more, then joined the people beside him in applause. The man onstage bowed again, then the announcer took his place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s the show, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you to all the participants, you all did a great job, and thank you to you, the audience, as well. Feel free to stick around, I heard that there were going to be muffins. See you all next time!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad snapped out of his thoughts at the mention of muffins, realizing that he needed to go hand them out. He grabbed them from the table he had put them on earlier and headed to the crowded foyer. There weren’t actually that many people, only forty or so, but the room was quite small. He had handed all but five out when he bumped into a man around his age, almost dropping the </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sorry. Do you want a muffin?” He held the container out to him. After a second of looking at him, he remembered him as the guy with brown hair that had been holding hands with the blonde guy when he passed them on the street.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, thanks.” He took one, his speech tinged with a British accent. “Where are you from? I don’t think I’ve seen you around, and we don’t get many visitors.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m from pretty far away, actually. Ten-hour drive. My grandparents are moving to the senior home and I’m here to help them pack and get settled in, y'know?" He shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's good. How long are you staying?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Until the end of August. I think I lived here, as a kid, though I can't really remember anything about it." He let out a small, nervous laugh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The brunette frowned in confusion. "You think? But-" He was cut off by someone wrapping their arm around their waist, the same masked man that was onstage. Suddenly, Bad's phone buzzed with a text. He pulled it out and read the preview on the lock screen, eyes widening in panic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Grandma: Grandpa fell over, please come quickly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Grandma: We are at the front of the building.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shoving his phone back into his pocket, he frantically asked the pair in front of him: "Hey, can you guys take the rest of the muffins?" He held out the container with four of the cake-like treats at the bottom. They exchanged a look that Bad couldn't be bothered to try to understand in his panic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Um, sure?" The one with the mask grabbed them out of the Tupperware and Bad fumbled with the lid for a second before fully closing it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, I have to go now, love your music, bye!" He spoke quickly over the noise of the crowd and slipped into it, dodging and weaving in between the people.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Dream looked at George, confused. "What was that about?" He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not sure, I bumped into that guy on the way back from the washroom and then he gave me a muffin." George took a bite from the one he was holding. "These are pretty good." He mumbled through the mouthful. "He seemed pretty panicked though. Do you think he's okay?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream looked in the direction the man had gone. "Hopefully he is. Where are the others?" George pointed towards the stage exit doors, having taken another bite of the muffin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blonde sighed. "Let's go." He began to navigate through the slowly-thinning group of people, George following closely behind him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I need to stop updating so late-</p><p>At least it's actually the correct day this time ¯\_( ツ)_/¯</p><p>Hope you liked it!</p><p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Meeting Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hey, you found the missing person!” Skeppy exclaimed as Dream and George joined their circle. His gaze flickered to Dream’s hands. “And you brought food!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t get any.” He held them up above Skeppy’s reach. The shorter man jumped up, trying to grab at his hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever,” He stopped jumping. “Who knows if they’re poisoned or not?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream pointed to the brunette beside him. “Considering George hasn’t fallen down dead yet, I think they’re safe.” The brunette popped the last bite of the muffin in his mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, you would let me get poisoned, Dream? And I thought you were supposed to care.” He pouted, sticking his bottom lip out in a way that made him look slightly like a five-year-old.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, good point.” Skeppy said, ignoring George and pulling Dream’s elbow down. “Thanks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap and A6d each grabbed one as well, leaving the blonde with the last. The group was silent for about twenty seconds (a rarity) as they dug into the treats.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“These are really good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seconded. You know how to bake?” A6d asked Skeppy. The smaller man shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap smirked. “He would probably burn the house down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Says the one who almost burnt down their house trying to cook spaghetti." Skeppy shot back smugly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other's face turned pink. "I thought we said not to talk about that!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shrugged unapologetically and began to move away from the group. "Did we?" He called out over his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Skeppy, get your ass back here!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nope!" He yelled back, causing many people to stare at him as he pushed the side door of the community centre open and ran around to the back, where he leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Faintly, he could hear A6d shout:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sapnap, I am not being friends with a murderer!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy stifled a laugh as he walked out from behind the corner nonchalantly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do we need anything else?" Dream asked George, who was staring at the ground as they walked to the local grocery store. The older's head snapped up and he leaned over to see the list of food on Dream's phone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tomatoes, eggs, bread, lettuce, table salt- did we run out of salt?" He asked, looking upwards at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. I have to use a lot of salt to balance out your sweetness." He kissed George on the tip of his nose. The brunette blushed at his boyfriend's words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Stop it. I ran out of raisins a few days ago, so some of those."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Noted." They stopped by the trolley pick-up/ drop-off area and inserted the coin into the slot, freeing the cart from the rest of the row.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The couple strolled through the store, picking out the groceries that they needed and some extras as well, including some waffles and canned soup for an easy lunch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And… raisins. To the snack aisle!" Dream said dramatically, pointing at the ceiling. George rolled his eyes affectionately and took over maneuvering the trolley.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they got to the snack aisle, a man was looking at granola bars, and George recognized him as they walked by. He tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around, probably surprised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh hey!" He smiled. Dream recognized him as the guy that had handed out the muffins at the talent show. "How are you? And who's this?" He turned to Dream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>George spoke up. "That's Dream, my boyfriend, and I'm doing well, thank you for asking."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, you were the one in the smiley mask at the talent show, right? Great job, by the way." As his smile widened and George struck up a conversation with him, the blonde couldn't help but feel like he was familiar somehow. Shaking the feeling off, he focused back on the conversation, where George had asked him why he was panicked the other night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My grandma texted me saying that my grandpa fell. That's why I came here, actually. They're moving to the senior home soon, because my grandpa broke his leg. We took him to the hospital, and they said he was fine, so that was a relief." He sighed. "That really scared me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream nodded. "Yeah, I can imagine. How are they doing?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think they're okay. They'll probably be more comfortable once they've moved in, though."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"By the way, those muffins were really good. Our friends liked them a lot, even asked for the recipe." George chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man's still-familiar green eyes widened. "Oh really? Tell them thanks! I can send you the recipe if you want, it's pretty simple." George pulled out his phone, opening his contacts list. "What's your number?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man seemed to be caught off-guard and he froze for a second before he slipped his phone out of his pocket. "Oh, um, it's xxx-xxx-xxxxx." Dream spoke up, jokingly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I thought the only number you needed was mine." He grumbled, hiding a smile. George rolled his eyes back at him playfully, before turning back to the man in front of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't mind him. He's just being salty." He lifted the box of salt from the trolley. Dream retaliated silently as he rested his elbow on the top of George's head. He pushed the arm off but Dream moved the elbow onto his head again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, do you want to come hang out with the rest of us? You seem kinda lonely." George said, changing the subject. "We're going skating tomorrow, right?" He looked at Dream, who was still staring at the other, seemingly lost in thought. The brunette gently elbowed him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Dream? Are you alright?" He shook out of his haze. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I'm fine. Also yes, we are going skating. Do you want to come with us? I'm sure the others won't mind."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll have to see if I can. What time is it?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream pulled out his phone and scrolled up in their group chat. "It should be at 2pm."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hopefully I can come. Anyways, I have to go back now. Bye!" He turned towards the front of the store.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh wait!" George called after him. "What's your name?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's Bad!" Dream's blood ran cold at the mention of his childhood friend's name. Faintly, he could hear George call out a goodbye beside him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Dream?" He shook the blonde by the shoulders. "Dream!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh, yeah, sorry. Let's go." His speech was clipped and the brunette looked at him, worried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay?" He nodded stiffly. They paid and walked out of the store, the bag of groceries weighing George's hand down. The brunette placed his other hand on his boyfriend's shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Seriously, what's wrong?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Talk about it at home." He mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>George nodded, but his mind went into overdrive. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did I do something? I don't think so, but…</span>
  </em>
  <span> He took a deep breath in, then exhaled out of his mouth. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He'll talk about it at home. I'm sure we can do something about whatever's bothering him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The walk seemed to triple its length as they made their way back, the sun burning high above them in the bright blue sky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once they had put away the groceries, George sat Dream down on the couch and faced him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What happened? Did it have something to do with Bad?" Dream inhaled sharply, and George knew immediately that the man had something to do with it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Were you uncomfortable with inviting him to hang out with us? Or should I have not asked him for his number?" George asked, biting his lip.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blonde shook his head. "Neither. It's... a long story." The older man placed his hand over Dream's clenched fists on his lap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We have time. Did you know him or something?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream looked surprised. "Yeah, actually. How'd you know?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Clearly you've at least seen him before, if you have a story." He answered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good point. Okay, so…" He cleared his throat. "I wasn't the one most affected by what happened. Skeppy was."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The brunette frowned. "Skeppy?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. I don't know the whole, complete story but… when Sapnap, Skeppy,and I were in 6th and 7th grade, there was this guy that moved here. He and Skeppy became really, really good friends. We were his friends too, but not as close. And then at the start of 8th grade, he just… disappeared."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So that was him?" George asked. "He was the one that left?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream nodded. "It's been years. Skeppy was </span>
  <em>
    <span>devastated</span>
  </em>
  <span> when he left. Like, he stayed quiet for a whole </span>
  <em>
    <span>month</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's a long time." George mumbled. "You think he ever got over it?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The taller man shrugged. "To be honest, I'm not sure. After he 'recovered', he never mentioned him again."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two sat side-by-side in silence for a few minutes, Dream recalling a fond memory and George trying to process the information. Suddenly, the latter jumped up, panicked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait, didn't we invite him to hang out? How's Skeppy going to react?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream groaned and slouched into the sofa. "Oh no! I didn't even think of that in the slightest!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do we do?" The blonde sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't think we </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> do anything. 'Hey, we just remembered that you left twelve years ago, and our friend might still be mad at you, so you can't come with us anymore.' Yeah, no. That's just rude."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I just… I'm sorry, I should have thought more about it. He just seemed lonely. He didn't seem to recognize you, though. Didn't you say you were friends? Surely he'd recognize your name or something?" George asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't know. Either way, what's done is done. We just have to hope that Skeppy doesn't get </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> upset…"</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This and the next chapter will probably be a little shorter, just in preparation for chapter 6 and 7. :)</p><p>Hope you liked it!</p><p>-DIamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Hoping</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Aunt Paula?” He knocked gently on his aunt’s office door. He had put away the groceries as best as he could, still not familiar with the layout of the kitchen. He couldn’t help the smile that snuck onto his face. It felt nice, having someone to want to hang out with him. He had lost contact with most of his friends, just through moving towns every year or two from when he was a child. From inside the door he heard a faint ‘Come in” and he pushed the door open, the slab of wood swinging open with a slight squeak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” She pushed the heels of her hands into her eyes, the blue-white glow of the screen shining on her brownish-red hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Um, hi! Are you okay?" He asked hesitantly, noticing the dark bags under her eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, don't worry about it. Do you need something?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad shuffled in the doorway. "Well, actually, some people invited me to go hang out with them tomorrow."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her head shot up. "You found them? That's great! You should definitely go!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you sure?" He bit his lip. "I don't want you to have anymore work than you already do."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you still want to help, you can go in the morning. When is it?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"2pm. I'll probably go in the morning. Thanks for letting me go."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiled. "Bad, you're an adult. You can do whatever, I'm not your mother."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Still, I would feel bad if I just left you hanging. Anyways, I'm gonna head off to bed now. Bye!" The door was shut softly behind him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he collapsed onto the bed, the wind whistled quietly through the ajar window, bringing with it a child's laughter from outside. The corners of the man's lips curled up as he drifted into a deep sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We should probably tell the others we're bringing an extra person." George said out of the blue the next morning, the two of them lounging on the sofa while a movie played on the screen in front of them, the volume turned down. They had lost interest in the plot a while ago, and were now browsing through their social media feeds casually, looking up at the film periodically. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good point." Dream opened their group chat. "What do I say?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>George scoffed. "Why are you asking </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>? </span>
  <em>
    <span>You're</span>
  </em>
  <span> supposed to be the writer." The blonde playfully glared at him, then turned to his phones, thumbs moving over the keyboard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Should we tell them who it is?" The brunette thought for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, I don't think so. If it </span>
  <em>
    <span>has</span>
  </em>
  <span> been that long, wouldn't they want to see each other again? Or, if Skeppy is still angry, maybe they could talk it out?" His voice rose in pitch as he spoke. It was a big </span>
  <em>
    <span>if</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but one that could potentially happen, in the best scenario. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few minutes later, George's phone dinged and he opened the new message.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey guys, so funny story, George was being dumb yesterday- I was not being dumb! He looked lonely! -and invited a guy to go skating with us. Okay with everyone? Hm face." Just as George finished reading the text, three dots popped up, Sapnap and Skeppy both typing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yea sure</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sapnap:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>George wtf</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Who asks a random guy to hang out</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>For all he knows we could be a bunch of serial killers</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But I mean</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>fine</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sounds like dream's got some competition </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dream:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shut up</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sapnap:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>oo jealous dweamy </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dream:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shut the fuck up</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I know where you live</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sapnap:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Might be going to the wrong address bud</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I ain't at my house</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dream:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>🤦♂️</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A6d?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Still sleeping</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So he doesn't exist for now i guess</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sapnap:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do we know him?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>George: </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He was the guy that made the muffins</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sapnap: </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>oh muffin man</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What's his name?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>George:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Um</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dream:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So it's at 2, right?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap frowned at the screen, wondering why Dream had avoided his question. He tried again, but to no avail.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sapnap:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What's the guy's name</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>George:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Uh</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We've gotta go </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>feed Patches</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Cya</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Since when was feeding Patches a two-person job?" He murmured to himself as he stepped onto the front porch, dialing Dream's number.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hello?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey. What's up with not saying the guy's name?" He questioned, cutting to the chase. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm." In the background, he could hear Dream whisper, presumably to George, "Should we tell him?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know I can hear you, right?" He said, irked. "Seriously, what's up?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The sky?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Dream just fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>tell</span>
  </em>
  <span> me! What is it? Is the guy a serial killer?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream sighed, the noise crackling through the phone. "His name is Bad." Sapnap stood in shocked silence for at least a minute, Dream calling out his name through the call. At last, he croaked out a small 'What?'</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… think, no, I'm like ninety-seven percent sure it's the same person. Same green eyes, although his hair is reddish-brown now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dream, </span>
  <em>
    <span>how?</span>
  </em>
  <span> How did you not even realize that he was the same person? Were you not there? Why didn’t you tell George?” He knew he was close to yelling and Skeppy was close, but he didn’t care.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um, I kinda… invited him before I asked his name?” George spoke up. Sapnap's jaw dropped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You did </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>? George, that is like, basic human to human interaction safety! What if he was dangerous?” He was full out yelling now. “And how’s Skeppy going to react? You knew how much he hurts!” He sighed and rubbed his face. “This is bad. This is really bad. Oh no.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you-” He was cut off by the door being flung open. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What am I going to react to?” Skeppy asked. “And why are you yelling?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s made you so happy?” She asked. Bad was setting up another cardboard box in the spare bedroom, trying to hide a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve, uh, actually got to leave early today. Some people invited me to go hang out with them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His grandma smiled as well. “May I ask who they are?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Their names are Dream and George, and they said they were going in a group with some of their friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, those boys. I’m glad you found them. Anyway, let’s get going if you need to leave early.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh hi Skeppy! We were just talking about a… um, a really funny video! I wanted to get your reaction on it.” Skeppy narrowed his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure? You sounded mad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap plastered a fake smile on. “Yeah, of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two stood in awkward silence for a few seconds. “Are you going to show me the video?” The shorter man asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah. Dream, can you send the link again?” </span>
  <em>
    <span>He better be able to find something or we are so screwed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah! Sure!” He could feel the tension hanging in the air like smoke during a fire, heavy and thick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I can’t find the link and I’ve gotta go. Talk to you guys later!” Dream hung up swiftly, leaving Sapnap with a confused and suspicious Skeppy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was that about?” He asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean? We were just talking about the video. I’ve gotta call someone else, go wake up A6d.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, mom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Heading down the sidewalk, he dialed Dream’s number again. The blonde picked up on the first ring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is Skeppy there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. I told him to go wake up A6d and now I’m just walking.” He explained. “I think I can say now that George is a dumbass.”</span>
  <span></span><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” George shouted from the background. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I heard that!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good!” He shouted into his phone. “Because it’s true! Who in their right mind invites someone who they don’t even know the name of to hang out?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sap. Chill, okay? There’s something else I need to tell you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took a deep breath in of the muggy air, then exhaled slowly. “Alright. What is it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When I saw him, he didn’t recognize me. Even when I told him my name. I don’t think there are very many people called Dream out there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the second time that day, Sapnap found himself speechless. “Wait, what? How?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, but he just… seemed like he was meeting me for the first time. Did Skeppy ever get over him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! The other night…” He described Skeppy’s nightmare and the figure that had walked out, leaving him alone with the things that hurt him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream stayed silent, trying to process what he had just learned. “We fucked up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Majorly. What do we do now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We… hope for the best? I honestly have no idea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dream, we have,” He checked the time.”Two hours until they meet. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What do we do.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Should we tell Skeppy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap shook his head, even if his friend couldn’t see him. “No way. If they meet in person again, there’s a chance that they’ll talk it out or something. If we tell him, he’s just not gonna come.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good point. So… we just hope Skeppy doesn’t explode?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think that’s the only thing we </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair. See you later then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See ya. Text me or George if you think of anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Muttering out a goodbye, he stuck his phone back into his pocket. Thoughts churned like a ferocious tornado; a whirlwind trying to take over everything. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stay positive. It’ll be fine. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Turns out, it was not fine.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>:)</p><p>Stuff is about to go down.</p><p>I am very excited.</p><p>I might post the next chapter a day or so early so be on the look out for that!</p><p>Also 10k words woo</p><p>Hope you enjoyed!</p><p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Forget?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>:)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“C’mon, we’re gonna be late!” Skeppy drew out the last syllable. He was bouncing from foot to foot, waiting for Sapnap to come out of the bathroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be there in a minute.” He called back out, silently panicking. “Okay, Sapnap, it could either go well, or… absolutely horribly. But it’ll be fine, right? Right.” He whispered to himself. “It’ll be fine.” Splashing some water on his face, he dried it off with a towel and adjusted his headband.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind the door, Skeppy had switched from hopping to pacing the hallway now, bag on the floor containing his dusty skates. As a kid, he had loved skating, and while he no longer went to the rink regularly (he couldn’t remember the last time he went, so it must have been at least a year or two), he still had his skates from when he was a teenager.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At last, his friend emerged from the bathroom. “Let’s go!” He hitched the bag over his shoulder and turned towards the front door, slipping the keys out of his pocket. Sapnap grabbed his arm, preventing him from going any further. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, Skeppy, can you please, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span> promise something.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” He said impatiently. “A6d is already in the car, come on.”</span>
  <span></span><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Sapnap took a deep breath. “Just promise me that, whatever you do, you won’t freak out?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure, whatever.” The shorter man shook his friend’s hand off and walked over to the door, letting it bang shut behind him. Sapnap sighed and lifted the strap of his bag over his head, hoping with all his might that he was going to be okay.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy glided out onto the ice, stumbling a little on the first few pushes before the rhythm returned and his pushes grew confident. For a moment, he closed his eyes, letting the cold breeze brush past his face. He skated in wide circles around the rink, waiting for his friends to finish putting on their skates. Skeppy’s eyes subconsciously drifted to one of the rounded corners, the one farthest away from the entrance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>~</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey Bad?” The blades on their feet slid over the slippery surface, leaving thin, dull trails. Skeppy’s hoodie wasn’t blocking out the chill in the slightest, but the occasional touches of when his friend’s hand brushed his own was enough to overpower the goosebumps the cool air made. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah?” Bad’s fluffy hair bounced slightly as he turned to face him, his cheeks tinted pink from the cold and effort. “What is it?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He took a deep breath in. </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>Now or never. You can do this. </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>“I, uh… I really like you!” He said, louder than he had anticipated. Luckily, the ice was filled with chatter of the surrounding skaters. Bad smiled.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Aw, I like you too!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy could feel his cheeks heat up despite the air-conditioning. “No, like… I like </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>like </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>you.” A blanket of quiet fell over the two boys, muting everything outside of their bubble. Bad cleared his throat. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I-I think I like you too." Skeppy's hope rose up but he squashed it down, not wanting to be completely heartbroken if Bad didn't actually meant what Skeppy thought he meant.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Are you… Do you?" He asked hesitantly, his heart hammering in his throat. "Do you really?" </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Instead of answering, Bad leaned over and kissed Skeppy's cheek. The soft lips against his face had him blushing even warmer, hotter than he could have ever imagined. Yet, it was a warmth that comforted him, like a too-warm fireplace crackling in the winter.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Yes I do Skeppy. Yes."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>~</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even after looking away from the spot, the memory lingered painfully. The heat that he had felt so many years ago was still there, but it had turned less comforting, and more like he was burning alive, the flames surrounding his heart in a fiery prison.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perhaps if he had been able to let go, it would hurt less.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he couldn't. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He </span>
  <em>
    <span>can't</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe he should be able to, but something in him can’t let go, no matter how hard he tries. Skeppy doesn’t know what’s holding him back. He wants to cut the ropes, so, </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>badly, but he can’t. A part of him still holds on to the pieces stubbornly, refusing to let go no matter how hard he pries at the knots with his fingers. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> he needs to let go, simply because he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> that Bad is never coming back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A hand rested on his shoulder and he leaned back onto it, almost falling backwards as it dropped from the sudden weight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Skeppy, you good?” He turned to see his french friend behind him. Skeppy blinked the mist that was in front of his eyes away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah I’m fine. What’s up?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A6d pointed to the seats where they had put their stuff. “The new guy’s here. We’ve been shouting your name for like five minutes now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, sorry. I completely forgot there was a new person coming.” He skated a few steps towards the exit, then looked back. “You good?” A6d waved him off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just haven’t skated in a while. You go first.” Skeppy nodded and glided across the ice, thoughts still tangled up in his head. He was planning to say hi to whoever the new person was, then get back on the ice and skate in circles until the jumble untangled itself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sadly, plans, no matter how detailed they are, don't always go, well, according to plan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even from a distance, Skeppy could tell </span>
  <em>
    <span>something </span>
  </em>
  <span>was familiar about the man that sat next to his friends. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but when the stranger tilted their head slightly, he saw emerald green, a softer, yet darker alternative to Dream's minty green. His episode at the movie theater struck him, and he recognized him as the man that was outside. Still, he couldn’t help but scrutinize the stranger's features, looking to see if he was actually his childhood friend or not. The reddish-brown hair looked fluffy, the same as his friend's had been, and his eyes were familiar, yet not the exact same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey Skeppy, come meet the new guy!" Sapnap walked over to him and grabbed his wrist. "Remember, try not to freak out, alright?" Skeppy nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man turned as they approached, Skeppy's wrist still in Sapnap's grasp.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh hi! Are you Dream and George's friend? I'm Bad, nice to meet you!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Staring at the man, it was as if time itself had stopped. Skeppy couldn't tell if his heart was speeding up or slowing down, whether it was in his throat or down in his feet. Numbness spread like vines, vines that turned into flames that licked at his skin when the man that used to be his friend tilted his head to the side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The flames burst into an inferno as he saw the arm reaching for him in his peripheral vision. Before the arm could touch him, he felt his hand tighten into a fist and he swung, fury focusing his vision again. A bit of red leaked onto his knuckles, and Skeppy pulled his hand back and </span>
  <em>
    <span>looked</span>
  </em>
  <span> at it. He knew he should feel bad, or at least sorry that he had punched him, but all he felt was anger, anger about how he had left him without a word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ow, what the heck?!" His past friend pressed a hand to his nose. Luckily, it hadn't been a particularly hard hit. It had given Bad a nosebleed, but everything else seemed to be mostly in order. Skeppy looked up again, then back down at his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He fled, away from the scene, the air of the rink a bucket of cold water swirling in his lungs. Stumbling slightly from running on narrow blades, he pushed the side door open and scrambled out. The tip of his skate caught on a pebble and he crashed to the ground, scraping a hole in the elbow of his hoodie. Skeppy laid there for a moment, before pushing himself back up into a sitting position, wincing as his elbow moved. Cottony clouds drifted over his head in the sky above, covering the sun for a minute before continuing their way to wherever clouds go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad watched as the man ran away, his hand still pressed to his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is it normal to have a person you've never met before punch you in the face when you first meet them? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He wondered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, fuck. He freaked out." He heard Sapnap whisper next to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Language! Um, is that guy always like that? Does he always punch people in the face when he meets them?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No… He- Are you okay? You're still bleeding." The younger man rummaged through his pockets for a tissue. "George, you have a tissue?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>George handed Sapnap a tissue wordlessly. Dream seemed to be silently panicking next to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, where is Skeppy? Oh my god, are you okay?" A6d stepped off the ice, walking towards them, noticing Bad’s bleeding nose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I'm fine. I don’t think that guy is, though.” He gestured at the side door. “He went that way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Skeppy? I’ll… go check on him.” Still looking as confused as Bad felt, he made his way over to the door and disappeared behind it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… who was that?” He asked. Dream finally spoke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Skeppy.” He looked for any sign of recognition in the man’s eyes. There was none.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay? But who is he?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap grasped his shoulders. “Bad, that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know his name! Am I supposed to know </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bad. Do you remember me? Or Sapnap?” Dream spoke calmly, his words even.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! Should I know you guys? Wait, you knew that this was gonna happen? You knew he’d be upset and you still invited me?” A dense mist formed over his vision, blurring the lines. “I thought you were being nice!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We didn’t-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going home.” Bad cut him off, his statement final. “Bye.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned to the door and walked out, the doors sliding shut behind him. Part of him wanted to go back and apologise, but he didn’t. He just wanted to close his eyes and imagine that the past half an hour never happened. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Both Sides of the Story</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Bad was remembering.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not all of it, of course. The memories had been shoved so deep inside his head, crushed into crinkled balls. It was hard to uncurl them; they were brittle like dried plants.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he was remembering.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fluffy black hair, jokes about when they would be fourteen, the younger of the two pulling a prank that had gone a little too far, and Bad being dragged along to clean up. Surprisingly, he remembered having fun. A few more moments as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So I guess I </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>did </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>know him.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He sighed, adjusting his glasses as they slid down his nose. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Even if I didn't, I'd still feel bad about snapping at them. I should probably apologize. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad texted George, asking to meet up the next evening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Skeppy?" A voice called from behind him. He was still sitting on the ground, the asphalt heating up in the sun. Skeppy could tell that it was A6d from the accent, but he didn't turn around to greet him. He felt him sit down next to him but he continued staring at the clouds, eventually just at the blue sky as the white cotton drifted away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What happened?" A6d asked quietly. "Did you know the new guy?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Better question is, did anyone </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> know except for me?" He said bitterly. The man beside him held up his hands in defense. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, if it makes you feel better, I have no idea who that is. If you're comfortable with telling, why are you so pissed at that guy?" He held out a tissue and Skeppy took it, trying his best to wipe the drying blood off of his knuckles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>"So, before I moved here, I went to this academy thing, where all the kids were smart as hell. As you can probably tell, I don't fit in that category." He shrugged, pulling his knees closer to his body. "I was the loud one, the 'annoying'</span> <span>one. I wasn't that loud, they were just </span><em><span>way</span></em><span> too quiet." He held up air quotes at the word 'annoying'. Skeppy knew that, and he had asked his friends, to tell him if he had crossed a line.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Anyway, being quiet didn't mean they were actually quiet." He saw his friend's confused expression. "They whispered behind my back."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh. I'm sorry-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy waved him off. "Don't worry about it, it was a long time ago. But they did give me trust issues, so that's that." He laughed dryly. "Anyways, we got here, and I met Dream and Sap. I think it was... two years later, when </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> came."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The guy?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy nodded. "Yeah."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad stood on the front porch of George and Dream's house, finger hovering over the doorbell. He had a box of muffins with him, as sort of a peace offering. Before he could change his mind, he quickly pressed the doorbell, the ding-dong sound echoing in the house. The door cracked open a moment later, George poking his head around the wood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hi!" He waved awkwardly. George smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, come in. Dream's making dinner, would you like to join us?" He asked. Bad slipped out of his shoes and laid them neatly beside the other pairs on the mat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh, sure! I brought muffins." He held up the container. The brunette's eyes lit up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nice! The ones last time were really good, by the way."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad smiled as well. "Aw, thank you." He hadn't expected their interaction would go as well as it has.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, um, I'm sorry I snapped at you guys at the rink." He looked down at his socks. "I shouldn't have done that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>George rested a hand on Bad's shoulder. "It's all good. We maybe should have told who was coming as well. It's not your fault."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks." Dream walked out from the kitchen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I made dinner, it's just chicken and mashed potatoes. I didn't know what you liked, so I just went for a classic." He explained. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's fine with me!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The meal was not a particularly loud one, though it was not awkward either. Dream or George occasionally asked him questions, and he answered them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So… I was actually friends with you guys?" He asked hesitantly. It was a bit after they had finished their meal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream nodded. "Well, not George or A6d. They came after you. Do you really not remember us?" He set his elbows on his knees, propping his head in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Actually, I've been remembering some things. Just little bits, I've been trying to piece it together."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well… I moved a lot as a kid."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Again?" He asked after seeing the cardboard boxes that littered the floor. His mother looked up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Yeah, I'm sorry."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bad shrugged, indifferent. "It's fine." It really was fine. He hadn't made any friends in his past schools, and that one was no different. By sixth grade, he had already gone to eight schools. As long as he kept his distance, he didn't have to hurt anyone when he eventually left. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sometimes it got a bit lonely, watching the others in his class have fun with their friends, but he was fine by himself. At least that was what he told himself. However, lately he had been more lonely than usual, almost like a hole had opened up in his chest. He had to do </span>
  </em>
  <span>something</span>
  <em>
    <span> about it, and soon.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>At the front of the classroom in their school, was the first time he had said 'I hope we can be friends.' and meant it. The phrase was so cliche, yet he truly meant it. For the first time in a </span>
  </em>
  <span>long</span>
  <em>
    <span> time, he had friends, people around his own age that cared about him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That was us?" Dream asked. Bad nodded, blinking away the mist in his eyes. George silently stood up and walked over to him, hugging him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Did you get the paper?" Skeppy asked, looking over his shoulder.  He was standing on one of the window ledges of the school, the one everyone knew that was jammed, and couldn’t close or open properly. He guessed that, with the small gap, he could still squeeze through.  Sometimes being small had its advantages. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bad nodded, a pained expression on his face. It was Halloween night, (special emphasis on night; it was 12:26am) and Skeppy had an idea of what prank he could do and dragged Bad along.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So, here they were. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Are you sure we aren't gonna get in trouble?" He asked, still concerned. Skeppy hooked his fingertips on the edge of the window and tugged, the framed glass moving up slightly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Yeah, as long as it's harmless and easy to clean up they won't call the police. Can you give me a hand over here?" Bad placed the bag he was holding on the ground and walked over to the ledge beside Skeppy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Wait, you've had the cops called over one of your pranks?!" The younger shushed him, looking around.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Don't be so loud! There's probably no one, but still." He whispered. "And… maybe- Look, that isn't important right now. On the count of three." Bad sighed, but hooked his fingers over the frame as well.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"One,"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Two,"           </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Three!" The window slid open, and Skeppy turned to Bad, a large grin on his face</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"This is gonna be awesome! Okay, give me the bag."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bad held onto the white plastic uncertainly. "Are you sure we should be doing this?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy shrugged. "Probably not, but if it isn't worth it, don't do it."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There was no persuading Skeppy when he had his mind on something, and Bad knew this, even only knowing him for about a month and a half. Actually, a month and a half exactly, since it was technically November 1st. (No, he has not been keeping count at all.) </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He sighed and handed him the bag. "Here."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That prank was fun. We got white tissue paper and then hung it on the ceiling fan. It kinda looked like a ghost, y'know?" He smiled fondly at the memory. "My parents didn't really know about the pranks, since the school just stopped calling them. I think that was just the teacher being nice or something. He had a good sense of humour. I mean, until the prank war started, but that's later."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… why are you so mad at him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy sighed. “I...</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you remember how no one found out until you were gone?” Dream asked. “I don’t recall really trying to reach out that summer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We’re gonna have so much fun this summer!” Skeppy exclaimed, slinging an arm over Bad’s shoulder. He plastered a wide smile on his face, keeping the younger from noticing his inner turmoil. He knew this was coming, but he was still torn. Torn between making Skeppy upset that was moving, or keeping him oblivious. He didn't want to see him cry over him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ignorance is bliss, right? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Actually, I have to go to sleep-away camp." The lie slipped past his lips, easier than he thought it would be. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Aw, really? When do you leave?" He asked. Bad muttered out a soft 'Tomorrow.'.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Oh, that's kinda soon, isn't it? I’m gonna miss you.” He muttered, his face turning a soft shade of pink. “Anyway, I've gotta go, give me a call if you want to hang out later! See you later!" Bad waved as Skeppy jogged away, leaving behind a sense of loss. It had been so easy, lying to him. The only thing in his mind was:</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I'm sorry.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy ran up to the door of Bad’s house, ready to bombard his friend with questions of why he never called Skeppy back and why he hadn’t shown up at school on the first day of eighth grade. He knocked on the door impatiently, knocking again after a few seconds.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hello?” A stranger opened the door. Skeppy stared at him, confused. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Who are you?” He asked.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I live here. Do you need help? Where are your parents?” Skeppy ignored his questions.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Do you know where my friend is? His name is Bad.” He had a sinking feeling that his friend wasn’t there anymore.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The man scratched his head. “Sorry kid. I don’t know anyone named Bad.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“He lives here!” Skeppy pushed past him and ran into the house, taking the stairs two at a time until he reached the top landing, then down the short hallway to his friend’s bedroom.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The room was completely empty, all the furniture gone. The walls were even painted over, bland cream covering their previous light red.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" The man had caught up to him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Do you know what happened to him? He used to live here!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His eyes softened just the smallest bit. "Listen, I don't know who your friend is. What does he look like? Maybe we should call the police."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy described Bad's features, and a flicker of recognition flashed in the stranger's eyes. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Green eyes, you say?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"You know where they are?" Skeppy asked, glimmering with hope. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Not exactly, but the previous owners of this house had green eyes and brownish-red hair. I don't know if that was your friend's family, but if they were, they moved."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy took a step back, then another, the man's words sinking in.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>He didn't go to sleep-away camp, did he? He knew, and he didn't tell me. I trusted him to tell me the truth. Was I wrong to trust him?</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He ran past the man and down the stairs, tears beginning to pour down his face. He didn't stop and think about where he was going, he just </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>ran</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A6d stayed silent, taking the story in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s why.” He finished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you hate him?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… don’t think so? I don’t know. It just felt, like, I dunno, like he betrayed me or something.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should try to make up with him.” Skeppy turned towards his friend. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A6d stared up at the sky. “You sound like you miss him more than anything. Besides, he’s back, isn’t he? That doesn't explain why he didn’t seem to remember you, but I think you’d both be better if you gave it a second try.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” He looked away, feeling guilty. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>just kinda punch him. Even if I was upset, I shouldn’t have done that. But it just felt… right, in the moment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It didn’t look too bad, I’m sure he would forgive you if you apologized.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy took a deep breath. “Maybe. We should… probably go back in now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I guess I just… somehow made myself forget after the move. I still don't know how I managed to do that." He fiddled with his fingers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, it’s okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad shook his head. “It really isn’t. If I’d hurt him so much that he’s still angry after all these years, then what did not telling him in the first place do?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think he’s mad, more so hurt.” George spoke up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” His eyes widened, glittering with hope.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mhm.” Dream nodded. “Skeppy’s not really one to hold grudges.” His phone buzzed on the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s from Skeppy, actually.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm sorry that the formatting was kinda a mess :(</p><p>For some reason, this was kinda hard to write but it's done in time!</p><p>Having said that, would you guys be interested in a playlist for this fic? I've found a few songs that fits pretty well, and I was wondering if you would want that!</p><p>Hope you liked it!</p><p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Apologies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Dream looked up from the lock screen after reading the preview. “It’s from Skeppy, actually. It’s about you.” He slid a finger across the screen, unlocking the phone. “Drem, do you know where bad live” He read out, smirking at the mistakes, fingers already flying across the keyboard. He showed it to the others a moment later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Sorry, I don’t know a 'Drem'. Please leave a message after the beep.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three dots were still bouncing by the time they finished reading, disappearing and reappearing every few seconds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘DREAM’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘You know what I mean’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>‘Where does he live?’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream scrunched up his nose, then turned to look at Bad. “Should I tell him? I mean, it isn’t really my information to give.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad bit his lip. "Uh, maybe just like, the general idea? You could say I live kinda close to you or something."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"M'kay." He paused for a moment, waiting for a response. "He just says 'ok'."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why do you think he asked?" George asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad shrugged. "I'm not sure, I don't really know him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I did it." Skeppy dropped his phone onto the couch beside him, exhaling loudly. Sapnap patted him on the shoulder. Skeppy and A6d had told him enough of what happened for him to understand more about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. Good job, dude."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What does 'close by' mean, though? Like a circle around their house?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I mean, I guess?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey Siri, how close is close?" Skeppy spoke into the speaker of his phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry, I didn't get that." The robotic voice replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Five blocks." The older of the pair decided as he grabbed his keys. "Are you coming?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap sighed. "I guess so. Who knows what you'll do if you're alone."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sap, I live alone. Besides, you're younger than me." He stuck out his tongue. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"See? You're still fourteen in the head." He smirked. "And you </span>
  <em>
    <span>look</span>
  </em>
  <span> younger."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I do not!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sure, Mr. Shorty."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few minutes of Skeppy chasing Sapnap around the house, they managed to walk over to Dream and George's street.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So I guess we start looking." Skeppy ran up the door and knocked on the door. Sapnap walked behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A woman opened the door. "Hello? Do you want something?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Does Badboyhalo live here?" He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, thanks for your time!" With a wave, he skipped off to the next house, leaving Sapnap still standing on the stranger's porch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh, we're looking for a friend of ours." He felt like he had to explain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good luck, I hope you find him." Sapnap nodded and the door closed. As he headed back to the sidewalk, Skeppy was nowhere to be seen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This is exactly why I didn't want to let him go alone…" He muttered under his breath. Suddenly, he could see his friend emerging from the driveway of one of the houses, </span>
  <em>
    <span>way</span>
  </em>
  <span> down the street. He sprinted to catch up, trying to catch his breath as he stopped beside Skeppy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How are… you so fast?" He panted, hands on his knees. Skeppy turned back to look at him, grinning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're just old."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He probably should've seen that coming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was about three hours later by the time they had completed asking around the second ring of houses, and the sky was nearly completely dark. Some people they encountered had been more willing to give their time than others, who just told them a simple 'No.' and shut the door in their faces. Luckily, none of them had yelled at the duo. The houses where no one answered worried Skeppy the most, because what if Bad had been living there but he had just been out? Still, he held onto hope that he would find him sometime. Sapnap pulled out his phone, checking the time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Skeppy, let's go back. It's nearly 11. People are going to sleep."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Look, I know you want to find him, but disturbing people's rest isn't the greatest thing, y'know? I'll still come with you tomorrow."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy nodded, eyes moving along the ground as they walked back to his house. "Thank you." He spoke up. "You didn't have to help me look.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap smiled at his words. “No problem. You’re like a little brother to me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m older!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next morning, they continued with their search. Sapnap almost had to bar the door to prevent Skeppy from starting at 6am. Normally his friend had the most unhealthy sleeping schedule out of all of them, but after they had gotten home the previous night, Skeppy had gone right to his room and crashed onto his bed, leaving Sapnap with a curious A6d. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where did we stop yesterday?” Skeppy asked, jogging on the spot with his hands in his hoodie pocket. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap shielded his eyes from the morning sun with his hand. “I think at that corner.” He pointed across the street. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… over here next.” He began to run, hands still in his hoodie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Skeppy, get your hands out of your hoodie, if you fall that’s gonna hurt!” The other slowed down slightly and pulled his hands free, waving them at Sapnap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, mom!” He sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, at least he’s having fun.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their routine started again, with Skeppy ringing the doorbells and Sapnap trailing behind him. About 2 hours later, they stood on the same front porch that they had visited that morning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Next houses? Or do you want lunch first?” Sapnap asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy shook his head. “I can keep going. You?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A bit longer should be fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The hot August sun blazed through the air, heating up the sidewalk beneath their feet. Small, fluffy clouds drifted high above them, however not in line with the sun’s harsh rays. Skeppy took his hoodie off and tied the sleeves around his waist. Even though the weather was still extremely hot, a few leaves here and there were turning a bright yellow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you think we’ll actually find him?” Sapnap asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy faced him, looking determined. “Even if I have to look through every house in town, I won’t give up until I find him. I need to apologize.” The other nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then we’ll find him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy rang the doorbell of a gray house, the partially red tree in front of it giving it a splash of colour. A muffled voice yelled from behind the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’ll get it!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy stared at Sapnap, eyes wide. “That’s him, I’m pretty sure!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap's face broke into a smile. “Really?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you going to say?” He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh shit, wait. I didn’t think that far ahead! What do I do?” He leaned against the door, eyes closed, trying to think of what to say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking back at the situation, leaning on a door that might open at any second was probably not the best idea, but he was too absorbed in: a) mild panic, b) desperation, and c) more panic. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Skeppy-” Sapnap called out, a second too late as the door swung open and Skeppy fell backwards, hitting his arm on the door frame and landing on his ass in front of the man that had just opened the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my goodness! Are you okay? You shouldn’t lean on the doors that people are opening, you muffin!” Bad reached out a hand to help him up. A second later, he seemed to recognize who it was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it’s you.” He said, still offering the hand. “How did you find out where I live?” The green-eyed man didn't sound mad, only curious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy took the hand and stood up, brushing his clothes off. “Um, I kinda… knocked on every door in the 4 blocks surrounding Dream and George’s house?” He said meekly, not wanting to seem like a stalker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, wow. That’s some dedication.” Bad murmured under his breath. “So what did you need to find me for?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I just wanted to say sorry. I didn’t mean to punch you, I was just… really mad when I saw you again. Yeah, that’s about it, but I wanted to say sorry, you didn’t really deserve that.” Skeppy rambled, looking nervously at the ground. At that moment, he was reminded of all the times he had to apologize as a kid, most of them from pranks that had gotten just a little bit too destructive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apology accepted.” Skeppy looked up. “It’s okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, really?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Do… you two want to come in?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure.” Sapnap jumped in, shooting a glance at Skeppy that Bad couldn’t understand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, follow me.” The two slipped off their shoes in the entrance way and followed Bad to the living room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A gray couch sat in the middle of the room, the matching loveseat pushed up against the wall with a big window, framed with dark blue curtains. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you want something to drink?" He asked them, turning around. When they both nodded, Bad gestured to the couch and went to the kitchen, where he filled three cups with water and ice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry, this was all there is."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's fine, don't worry about it." Sapnap reassured him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they sat there, Bad felt like he had to strike up some type of conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So… how's your day going?" He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We went to go find you, and then we found you, so it's going pretty good."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did you actually knock on every door?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, we did." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh my goodness, how long did that take?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We did it for 3 hours yesterday, and about 3 today, so… yeah." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, wow. I'm kinda surprised you managed to actually find me. Skeppy and Sapnap, right?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have something to tell you, Skeppy. I… don't remember much about what happened." Bad held his breath.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you liked it!</p><p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. It's going to be okay.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Playlist:</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQamJR8BikKQBx3STOGutuC9Fp13hZPC8</p><p>(Sorry it's on Youtube, Spotify didn't have some of the songs I needed :P)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Yeah, I kinda knew already," Skeppy drew a swirl onto the frosty glass, a single drop of water sliding down the smooth surface. "When we met at the rink, you introduced yourself again."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad blushed slightly. "Oh. Oops? But, I've been remembering things too! Like…" He briefly explained the snippets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sat in silence for a minute, then Skeppy jumped up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know what, let's start over. Right now." He held out his hand. "Hi, my name is Skeppy."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad smiled. "I'm Bad. Badboyhalo." Rather than a handshake, Skeppy slapped the other's hand with his own and giggled at the look on Bad's face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Sapnap watched the duo introduce themselves again, the corners of his mouth crept up. When they were younger, the two had been nearly inseparable. There was something so satisfying about how they had found each other again, even after so many years.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, I'm gonna go home now. You two have fun without me, though!" Sapnap said, setting his glass on the coffee table. With a wave, he made his way outside again, still smiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I know!" Skeppy exclaimed, sitting straight up. "We're going somewhere. Come on!” He walked over to the door. “Can I drive your car?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh… no? I can drive. Where are we going?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rink.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad blinked. “Wait, why?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You never got to skate!” Skeppy grinned. “Besides, why not?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The green-eyed man sighed. “Fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The breeze from the air conditioning hit them as they entered the ice rink, making goosebumps crawl up Bad's arms. He rubbed them with his hands, trying to warm them again. Skeppy, on the other hand, was looking perfectly fine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, you good?" He asked the man beside him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, don't worry about it." He said as he shivered. Skeppy looked at him, concerned, then untied the hoodie around his waist, holding it out to Bad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Here. I don't need it anyway." Bad tried to push it away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, I'm really fine. See?" He flung out his arms and spun in a circle, earning him a few odd looks from passersby. However, the goosebumps gave him away. Skeppy smirked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, you aren't cold at all, it's me that's too hot." Bad turned to face him again, indignant. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How can you be too hot? It's freezing in here! Er, I mean..." He exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy shrugged. "So can you hold my hoodie for me? Please?" The dark-haired man gave Bad the best puppy-dog eyes he could do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Aw, fine. Give it to me." He mumbled, holding out his hand. Skeppy flashed him a mischievous smile before going around him, circling back and tying the sleeves in a knot around his shoulders, like a cape. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There, now you can have both hands free </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> be too warm as well." Bad could feel his cheeks heat up despite the frigid air. There was some sort of familiarity in the action, as if Skeppy had done it many times before. Maybe he has.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you coming?" Skeppy asked, looking back at Bad. He had stepped onto the ice, but the older was still standing on the edge of the rink, looking down at the slippery floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh, yeah, just, give me a second." He continued to stare at the ice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, don’t worry about it! I’ll help you.” Skeppy laughed, holding out his hand. Bad took it shyly. The warmth radiated from the younger’s hand, enveloping Bad’s cold one like a ray of sunshine. The green-eyed man blushed at the sudden contact. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on!” He inhaled sharply as Skeppy pulled him onto the ice, his feet sliding away from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Geppy!" He shouted out as he felt himself lose his balance. Skeppy caught his other hand in a tight grip and braced his arms, not letting the other's arms drop. Bad regained his balance a second later, leaning forward awkwardly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.” He chuckled nervously. His heart was racing from losing his balance and the sudden closeness. The pink crept up his face more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oblivious, Skeppy turned backward easily, still holding Bad’s hands. “I won’t let you fall and get your pants wet, if that’s what you were worried about. But if you </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> to fall, fall on your ass.” He said with a bright grin, one that seemed to envelope Bad in a warm glow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Language!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The duo made their way slowly around the edge of the rink in a somewhat comfortable silence, with Skeppy skating backward and holding onto Bad’s hands, stopping occasionally when he wobbled. The younger seemed content with the pace, although it was clear that he could go much faster, with the confidence of his pushes. The green-eyed man grew a bit frustrated at himself, at how slow he was going. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you can go faster if you want. I don’t want you to miss out having fun.” Bad spoke up, breaking the quiet between them. Skeppy looked surprised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, nah, it’s fine. I can go here basically anytime, but you won’t always be here, y’know?” His eyes drifted away, then snapped back to him. He could feel a slight heat make its way onto his face, but the colour was concealed by his darker skin tone. “It’s really fine.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you say so… Feel free to go off anytime though.” Skeppy hummed in confirmation. There was absolutely no way he was going to leave Bad alone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Just because he doesn’t know how to skate. That’s all. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They fell back into a silence, one more comfortable than the last, a layer of tension lifted off. The younger closed his eyes for a second. The scene in the corner was still there when he looked for it, but much of the sting had gone out of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lost in his thoughts, he slowed down. Bad, not anticipating the loss of speed, crashed into Skeppy, causing him to stumble backwards. He caught himself a second later, but Bad, after falling forwards, slid backwards and his feet tangled into each other, tripping him. As he fell backwards, Bad could feel his heart thumping from the sheer adrenaline. Suddenly, an arm wound around his waist, stopping him from falling, inches from the ground. The brunette’s eyes snapped open, unaware that they had been closed in the first place. </span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Skeppy?” He asked hesitantly. The younger was leaning over him, their faces </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> close together. Skeppy’s arm was still around his waist, gripping his hip. Bad could see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. A second later, the spell that held them in place broke, and Skeppy hurriedly stood up, pulling Bad up along with him. Silently, Skeppy took his hands again and started skating backwards, craning his neck to look at the people behind him. Even so, it didn’t hide the obvious red tint on his cheeks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck. What did I just do. Shit. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He stole the quickest of glances at Bad. The green-eyed man was staring intently back at him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Does he remember… that? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Skeppy's eyes flickered from Bad to the rounded corner they were approaching. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Probably not. Would he have said something? Past him would have, but what about him now? I genuinely have no idea. How much has he changed? </span>
  </em>
  <span>For the rest of the hour, his mind travelled in loops. He would </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was calming down, but then another thought of how he had messed up disastrously would come into his head and the cycle would start again. Too overwhelmed to form a comprehensible sentence, he simply stopped trying to speak. His silence unnerved Bad, who was internally freaking out as well from the sudden silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of their time together was quiet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy sat in the passenger seat, watching the raindrops gather onto the windshield. The sky had clouded over during the time that they were inside, and was now raining lightly. Resting his elbow on his knee, he propped his head up, still internally panicking. He tended to be very open with his emotions, but he could hide them well if he truly tried. The car stopped in front of his house, raindrops dripped off leaves and landed on the wet grass of the lawn. Turning around, he felt the need to say something, to apologize. Breathing in the slightly muggy, filtered air of the car, he turned to the green-eyed man beside him, and opened his mouth to speak. However, Bad beat him to it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> your house, right?" He asked, brows furrowed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, it is." Skeppy said with a confidence he didn't feel. "I just wanted to say sorry, I shouldn't have done that." He looked down, fiddling with his fingers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh no, it's okay! I was fine with it, I mean I'm fine with it, but I probably won't fall again, unless we're going to the rink, but… I guess you can do it again if I do fall." He mumbled the last part, but given the close proximity, Skeppy could still hear it, if only barely. The blush returned to his cheeks, but this time from surprise, rather than embarrassment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, uh, sure! Anytime." Bad's head snapped up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait, you heard that. Um, this is embarrassing." The silence resumed for a minute, which felt stretched out over ten.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can I text you?" Skeppy blurted out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The corners of the older's lips turned up as he smiled nervously. "You mean you want my number?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes." He replied, trying to calm his now irregular breathing. Both of their faces had now taken on a tomato-like colour from the interaction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Here." Bad fumbled with his phone, almost dropping into the cracks between the seats as he pulled it out. Skeppy inputted the number into his phone and unbuckled the seatbelt, stepping out into the rain, then poked his head in again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll text you later?” He asked hopefully. Bad nodded, and the younger smiled at him before closing the door and making his way to the front door. The green-eyed man watched as little raindrops fell into Skeppy’s fluffy hair, the light shining from the window of the house reflecting off of the drops of water, as if someone had sprinkled glitter into his hair. He remained in his car long after the black-haired man had gone inside, the soft pitter-patter of the rain and the cool air calming down his burning face. And even after that he stayed, staring at the door, the forgotten cobalt-blue hoodie still around his shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy slipped his shoes off by the door and made his way to his room, flopping back on the bed. He stared blankly at the ceiling, replaying their interactions once again in his head. Suddenly, a knock sounded at his door and Skeppy made his way across the room, opening the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you need something?” He asked the duo who had knocked. Sapnap pushed past him and hopped into his desk chair, while A6d perched on the edge of his bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How’d it go?” The younger asked. Skeppy went back to his position on his bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It went… okay I guess?" He summarized the afternoon, the other two making comments occasionally. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait, and he said he was fine with it?" A6d asked when he got to the part in the car.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy shrugged. "That's what he said. But… I don't know. I… He doesn't even know me that well," He continued, running a hand through his drying hair and sitting up. "But I know him. It's confusing." A6d placed a hand on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sure he remembers </span>
  <em>
    <span>some</span>
  </em>
  <span> things."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, didn't he say he was remembering?" Sapnap spoke up, stopping the spinning chair with his foot as he hopped off of it. He took a seat on Skeppy's other side. "I'm sure his memories will come back in time."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What if they don't?" There was worry, and a small bit of fear in his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then, well, just make new ones. You've already started. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>happened</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it was in the past. Even if he doesn't remember everything, it'll be fine. You're strong. You can make more." Sapnap repeated, ruffling his hair. A6d agreed quietly from his other side. Skeppy smiled, a smile that grew more certain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They would be okay. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey! I know I haven't updated in a while, but hopefully none of you thought I died :)</p><p>I just got writer's block, then school started, and yeah that was basically it.</p><p>Check out the playlist if you want! <br/>https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQamJR8BikKQBx3STOGutuC9Fp13hZPC8</p><p>Have a great day, and I hope you enjoyed!</p><p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. I'll try my absolute hardest to stay with you.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Bad pulled out his phone as it buzzed with a text. It had been several days since he was at the rink, and he had been at his grandparent’s all day again, and was making decent progress with the packing. Mostly everything had been stowed away into a box, aside from his grandpa’s study, which had the most bookshelves. Looking at the preview on his lock screen, it was from a number that wasn’t in his contacts. It simply said ‘ih’, whatever that meant. He texted back a hello with a few question marks, then put the device down on the couch cushion beside him, returning his focus on the movie his aunt had suggested they watch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two men watched a peaceful sunset after having just escaped with their lives, and Bad glanced out the crack between the curtains. To his surprise, the sky had darkened, small sparks of light occasionally peeking through the black. He hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The movie ended a few minutes later, and after saying a quick good night to his aunt, he made his way back to the room he was staying in. Absent-mindedly scrolling through his twitter feed, his mind drifted into space, not particularly thinking of anything. A sharp buzz snapped him back into reality, a notification popping up onto his screen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Unknown number:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ih</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>hello??</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Unknown number:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>hi</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>its skeppy</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>oh!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Quickly adding the number to his contacts, he pondered for a moment over the picture, then decided to leave it blank for later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>this is bad right</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>ok</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What should I say?" Skeppy asked. Sapnap and him were in the living room, Skeppy half hanging off the couch, while the other sat beside him, an arm draped around the back of the seat. A couple days had passed since he had seen Bad last, and he had finally decided to text him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I dunno, ask him what he likes to do or something," He suggested, placing his phone face down and stretching his arms over his head. "What do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to say?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy bit his lip. "I'm just gonna say that." He typed in the message, thumb hovering over the send button. "What if he finds it weird and doesn't want to talk anymore?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Dude, it's going to be fine. Here." He reached over and pressed Skeppy's thumb down, sending the message. The black-haired man yelped, snatching his phone away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was that for?” He yelled. Sapnap shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I had a feeling you weren’t gonna send it for another week.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older of the pair huffed. “I would have sent it on my own!” Sapnap stared at him knowingly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure you would’ve.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad smiled at the question, answering it quickly as he sat up, changing into his pyjamas and sitting cross-legged on the comforter. The window was open again, trying to disperse some of the late-August heat. The green-eyed man drummed his fingers on the case of his phone, its screen the only source of light in the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>what do you like to do?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, I like baking muffins</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>and also video games</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>how about you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god he actually responded.” Skeppy jumped up, clutching his phone as his eyes flickered from the message to Sapnap. “He actually responded!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He responded to your misspelled ‘hi’, didn’t he?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah, but that was different,” He read the message again. “He says he likes baking and video games.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sapnap smirked. “Bro, you should ask him how he bakes those muffins. Maybe you’ll learn how to not burn the house down.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I never burnt anything down!” He protested. “You were literally the one who burnt the spaghetti.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure I did.” Sapnap waved him off. “Anyway, ask him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy shot him a glare then turned back to his phone, chewing the tip of his thumbnail as he weighed the options. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a good idea, but the small voice that told him of rejection was there. However, the want to spend more time with Bad won in the end, and he certainly wouldn’t mind whatever result came out of the oven if it was good.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine, I’ll do it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>oh cool</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>maybe you can teahc me how to bake your mufins? :)</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>i mean dont feel like you have ot</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Id love to teach you! :D</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How about tomorrow?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah that works</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Your house or my house?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Mine?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>what tiem</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Time*</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>4pm?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>that works</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>:)</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The clock on Bad's nightstand read 12:16am, and he was surprised it had gotten that late. Turning his phone off, he placed it face-down on the stand, settling back onto the pillows. A breeze picked up outside, drifting through the curtains almost lazily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I'm going to miss this place.</span>
  </em>
  <span> The thought hit him suddenly; he had completely forgotten that in about a week's time, he would have to return home. There were things he needed to go back to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But there were also things he needed to do where he was currently. What if he ran out of time? Then there was Skeppy. He glanced over to the desk chair, where the blue hoodie hung. What even were they? Friends? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, that, hopefully.</span>
  </em>
  <span> For just a moment, he allowed himself to imagine </span>
  <em>
    <span>them</span>
  </em>
  <span>. After the short moment he shook his head to clear the thoughts. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He wouldn't think of me as more, ever.</span>
  </em>
  <span> And perhaps the most important question:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How do I tell him?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy picked up the items from the list Bad sent to him at the grocery store. The products were relatively easy to find, although the baking powder was not the same as baking soda, and he had to text Bad to confirm. Surprisingly, he managed to dig out a hand mixer from the very back of his pantry, left there who knows how long ago. The older was still as cheerful as ever, answering any questions he had, accompanied by an exclamation mark or smiley face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And if those enthusiastic texts made his heart beat a little faster and his cheeks heat up, then that was his business, and no one else had to know.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The doorbell rang and Skeppy jumped up off the couch, pausing with his hand on the doorknob. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> that he couldn’t just ignore the door; he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> that the door had a translucent window and Bad could most likely see him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he still hesitated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only for a second, before he opened the door and greeted Bad with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Come in, I have the stuff in the kitchen.” He waved him in, holding the door open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I brought something too, it’s my special ingredient, and also, this.” He pulled out a small container and Skeppy's blue hoodie. Inside the container were flecks of bright yellow. Skeppy smiled and looked at the flecks curiously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my hoodie! I was wondering where it was. What’s the yellow stuff though?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad smiled, shaking it a little. “It’s lemon zest! We’re making chocolate-chip lemon muffins, you… muffin?” He looked adorably confused for a second before letting out a giggle. “That’s what I normally call people. Here." He held out the hoodie. "Sorry for taking it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once they had laid out everything on the countertops, Bad started to teach Skeppy the basics.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So when you tap the egg onto the table, or bowl, or whatever, do it gently, but not so gently that nothing happens,” He demonstrated, the thick insides sliding out and landing in the bowl neatly. “And pull it open. Here, you try.” He held out the second egg and a second, smaller bowl. “Crack it into this first.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking the egg and bowl from Bad, he cradled the fragile ingredient in his hand. “Are you sure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, yeah! We have quite a few, so don’t worry if you mess up.” He smiled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy set the bowl down on the counter, tapping the egg against the rim, copying Bad’s previous motions. A small crack appeared on the shell, and he pressed his thumbs into the fracture, widening it. Bad watched him, his hands unwrapping the square of butter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Subconsciously, he began to dig the rest of his fingers into the shell. Bad placed a hand on his arm, making him jump.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re tensing up. Here." He stopped behind the younger and gently put his hands on Skeppy's with his arms around him. The effect was immediate; Skeppy relaxed from the touch. With Bad guiding Skeppy's hands, they quickly cracked the shell, and the yolk plopped down into the bowl. The green-eyed man smiled warmly at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look, you did it!” At that moment, everything was cozy and stupidly sweet, with Bad's arms still around him, holding onto his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks." He smiled awkwardly. Bad let go, lingering for just a split second longer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're welcome, anyways, we need the sugar next…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"One and a half cups of flour." Bad glanced at the screenshot of the recipe, then measured out the correct amount, leveling the top with a spoon. “We should be good to mix, if you’d like to?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy plugged in the cord and dragged the handheld mixer across the counter, holding it with both hands as he leaned over the bowl. He switched on the mixer, its beaters whirring around wildly. It had a surprising amount of force. He slowly lowered the mixer, the beaters spinning through the mountain of flour, churning up a white cloud that enveloped them. Skeppy hurriedly turned it off, waving his hand in front of his face to clear the floating particles. Beside him, Bad was also doing the same thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, maybe not on full at first." The green-eyed man said, coughing as some of the flour entered his airways, his glasses just the slightest bit crooked on his nose. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the cloud dissipated, the two were left standing there, lightly dusted in white. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Whoops?" He said hesitantly. Bad laughed in response. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just put it in first, this time, then turn it on."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the time with the mixer went relatively well. Then it was time to add the final ingredient, the chocolate chips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I usually mix them in by hand." Bad said, tossing a handful of the chips into the batter. "I can do it if you want."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, sure. I'm gonna go to the bathroom."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad hummed gently as he stirred the thick batter, spots of brown appearing and disappearing under the wood of the spoon. A memory hit him and his hand slowed, along with the simple melody.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>~</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He picked up one edge of the bowl, beating the ingredients together furiously. He knew his hand would ache later, but it didn’t matter. The slight pain would give him something to think about.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He needed to forget.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>After a few searches he sneaked when the school librarian wasn’t looking, he had a plan. The websites said to distract yourself whenever you were thinking about whatever you needed to forget. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Muffins were not particularly hard to make, but to a boy who had never really baked before, it was enough to divert his whole attention.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His mother had been slightly confused; he had never been one to spend much time in the kitchen, other than accompanying her occasionally while she was making dinner. She didn’t oppose the sudden interest, saying that if they had the ingredients in the pantry, he could use them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So he used them, not only for baking.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But for forgetting as well.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I… I did that? I made myself forget him purposely, just so I didn't have to feel guilty, while he's been hurting this whole time? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without realizing it, he had dropped the wooden spoon onto the counter, where it slid off onto the floor with a loud crash, splattering batter in the surrounding area. Tears leaked from the corners of his wide-open eyes, staring into blurry space. Skeppy rushed back to the kitchen, having just exited the bathroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whoa, are you okay?" He placed a hand on Bad's shoulder gently. When there was no response, he tried to snap Bad out of his haze, just enough to talk to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Bad?" He called out gently, as if to a wild animal. The older's eyes cleared for a split  second before going back to their unfocused state, tears still falling down his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's okay." He said comfortingly. "I-I'm here." His breath caught slightly, stumbling over the words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm here." The words came out easier as he repeated them. "I'll be here for you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would do everything in his power to make sure that was true.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly but surely, Bad's eyes focused more and more, until they didn't glaze over anymore. The older turned to Skeppy, and hugged him once he had a feather-light grip on reality, burying his face in the younger's shoulder. Skeppy wrapped his arms around him as well, one hand rubbing his back reassuringly. Tears dropped onto the fabric of the sweater he was wearing. Skeppy didn't know what he was crying about, but he still wanted to help Bad. They had been so close, some memories of their year together still vivid to this day. Even if Bad didn't remember him, he remembered Bad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So he held him, while he cried, murmuring words of comfort. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, his tears dried, but the two stayed where they were, until Bad wasn't sniffling anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What happened?" Skeppy asked quietly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I-I remember how I forgot. No, </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> I forgot. I made myself forget about you," The green-eyed man sucked in a shaky breath. "I made myself forget, just so I wouldn't have to live with not saying bye, or explaining where I went, while you never forgot." He repeated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy continued to listen, rubbing Bad's back occasionally to reassure him that he was listening, that he wasn't angry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And I j-just… I just left you, without saying anything!" He was on the verge of tears again, waiting for a response from Skeppy. Waiting for him to be angry, to yell at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey. It's okay. I forgive you." The younger said, his voice a little husky. "That was a long time ago. You should, no, you need to let go, y'know? I'm not mad. I was, a long time ago, if I’m being honest. I was mad for a long time, and then I wasn’t. I thought I still was, but it wasn’t, more missing you than anything. But it's okay now. You're back."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But I-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy pushed away from him, holding his shoulders and looking him square in the eye. "It doesn't matter that you left. We started over, remember? What matters now is what we do going forward." His gaze softened. "I really do forgive you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad nodded silently, swiping at the tear stains left on his face. "Thank you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're welcome. Oh, we should probably finish making the muffins, yeah?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We just have to bake them. Do you have the muffin tin?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yup." He handed the tin over. Bad placed the muffin liners into the indents, then together, they spooned the batter into the tin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And now… we wait." Bad's small smile was a little more relaxed, a little bit brighter. "We should clean up some of the stuff, or else the batter will stick to them." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The duo rinsed, wiped, and cleaned for the next few minutes while the muffins baked. A comfortable silence filled the air along with the delicious smell emerging from the oven. The timer beeped twenty-five minutes later, and Bad slipped on a pair of oven mitts and pulled the tray out halfway, inserting a toothpick into the center.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ooh, they're done!" He pulled the rest of the tray out, setting it on the counter. "And… that's how you make a muffin!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy reached for one, but the older swatted his hand away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're gonna burn yourself!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But they smell so good," He whined. "I just want to eat them."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not yet, you muffin head. You'll burn your tongue."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw, fine. When are we going to make the icing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad’s jaw dropped. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Icing</span>
  </em>
  <span>? These are muffins!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but where’s the icing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since when has there been icing on muffins? Those are </span>
  <em>
    <span>cupcakes</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That much sugar is bad for your teeth.” He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But it’s good!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No icing for muffins.” He said sternly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine…” Skeppy hid a smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for teaching me how to make them.” Skeppy said, leaning against the wall as Bad laced his shoes up. The older straightened up, laces tied tight. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was fun.” A small smile crept onto his face. Taking a step towards Skeppy, he hugged him again. The younger’s eyes widened, having not expected the sudden closeness. After a second he wrapped his arms around Bad as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for not still being upset with me.” Bad said softly, his voice slightly muffled from Skeppy’s hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The black-haired man smiled, letting the remaining tension seep from his shoulders. “It’s okay now. I’ll be here.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Updates will probably be less frequent, maybe once a week.</p><p>The update schedule has just been thrown out the window, but I'll post chapters as soon as I'm done them!</p><p>Have a nice day, I hope you enjoyed!</p><p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Sleepy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>are the muffins good? :D</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yea</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(Sent attachment)</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy held his phone up in front of him and the muffin he was carrying up to his face. He smiled and took the picture, sending it to Bad while taking a bite. Somehow, the batch tasted even better than the ones he had at the talent show. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Aw &lt;3</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad saved the picture and set it as Skeppy’s contact photo, then hesitantly saved it to his phone as well. For future reference.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh also </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You never answered my question</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What do you like to do?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>jsut like</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>video games n stuf f</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>oh cool!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>what do you like?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>minecraft </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>:00 </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Me too!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>we should play together sometime</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>:D</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh wait</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy's heart dropped, maybe Bad didn't want to spend time with him after all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I dont have my computer with me :(</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wooshed out a sigh of relief at the message.</span>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What if I got you one</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Money wasn't much of an issue for him, he had a stable job that paid well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I cuold buy u one</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What in the muffin</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>its realy not a probelm </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>don’t</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s the last of it, right?” Bad stood up, wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead. The weather was slightly cooler now, on the last day of August. Bending over, lifting heavy books, and putting them neatly into boxes was still a workout, to say the least. However, they had finished packing right in time, his grandparents were supposed to move into the senior house the next day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, thank you for helping us, sweetie.” His grandmother smiled at him from the chair she’d been sitting in, taking a break. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s no problem. Anyways, I’m gonna head back early, get some rest.” Waving goodbye to her and his grandfather in the living room, he exited the house, passing the red </span>
  <em>
    <span>sold</span>
  </em>
  <span> sign on the front lawn of the property. He stretched his arms over his head, the sleeves of his light jacket slipping to his elbows. There was something so peaceful about the walk, despite the shouts of children coming from a backyard close by. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Checking the time, he was surprised to find a text from Skeppy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>hey</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>cna you come voer </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>we can play miencratf</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>but i don’t have a computer?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>uh</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>;)</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>oh my goodness</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>you did not</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>jsut come</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad’s steps hurried as he shoved his phone back in his pocket. “That muffinhead, he did not.” He muttered under his breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad knocked on the front door of Skeppy's house, stepping back once he heard footsteps approaching. His heart was thumping out of his chest, whether from the fast-paced walk or… something else, he wasn't sure himself. His thoughts were cut short as the hinges of the door creaked slightly, a pompom-like mop of black hair peeking out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After making sure it was Bad and not some random stranger, Skeppy opened the door wider and let Bad in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh, hi," Skeppy said, toying with the doorknob with one hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You didn't actually buy a laptop." Bad deadpanned, holding Skeppy's gaze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No 'Hi Skeppy'?" The younger smiled easily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Please tell me you didn't." They started walking deeper into the house, towards Skeppy's room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Didn't what?" He asked innocently. He hadn't actually bought a laptop, but Sapnap agreed to let Bad borrow his, so they could at least still play Minecraft together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh my goodness- Skeppy, please tell me you didn't get a new computer." The pair headed up the stairs, Skeppy still leading the way. The home was decorated relatively well, white walls with cream baseboards and dark wooden flooring. Upstairs, the rooms were carpeted, except for the bathroom, which had cold-looking tiles. Several pictures of flowers and past pets, even a group photo of Skeppy and his family, lined the walls sporadically, in mismatched frames. Bad let his fingers glide over the railing of the stairs as he ascended the final few steps, still looking to Skeppy for a response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The black-haired man remained silent as he turned away, hiding a smile. Pushing his door open to reveal his somewhat messy bedroom, Skeppy gestured to the laptop on the bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What the muffin- Geppy!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy let the act drop, laughing at Bad's shocked expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's just Sap's, but oh my god, that was funny." He got out between giggles. Bad exhaled in relief, then pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You muffinhead, why'd you do that," He mumbled. "Well, at least you didn't actually get a new one."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Anyway, we can play Minecraft together now." Skeppy booted up his own computer, pushing one of the dining room chairs that he had dragged from downstairs over to his desk, beside his own seat. Bad sat down in the extra chair, launching the game. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two hopped onto different servers for a while, playing a few minigames. Surprisingly, they made a decent team in Bedwars.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Green on the left!" Bad shouted out. He placed a few more wool blocks around their bed in a desperate attempt to block the other team's attack, while Skeppy pillared up to PvP them. The black-haired man knocked one into the void, then turned his attention to the other. However, the first green team member had respawned, and was now making their way back to Skeppy and Bad's bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're coming back!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know, I'm </span>
  <em>
    <span>trying</span>
  </em>
  <span>." Skeppy gritted his teeth as the second teammate knocked him off of his tower then jumped down, in front of him. The pair got a couple of good hits on him, getting him down to two hearts of health.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Heal pool!" Bad yelled in Skeppy's ear, making it ring afterwards. The younger's character regained some lost health from the perk, still chipping away at the green team members' health. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Help me fight them!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brandishing his stone sword, Bad leapt into the conflict. Although Bad was not the best fighter, they managed to finally kill the other players between the two of them. They disappeared in puffs of smoke, and Skeppy took the opportunity to run across the woolen bridge and start dismantling the pieces of wood and wool covering the lime-green bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Should we go get diamonds?" Bad asked, glancing at Skeppy. The younger was leaning forward, completely immersed in the game. His dark eyes seemed to almost glitter in the blue light of the screen like black gems. Bad found himself mesmerized by the blue-blackness, unable to tear his own eyes away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh, yeah." The words fell onto deaf ears, Bad continuing to gawk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Bad?" Skeppy nudged him with his shoulder, now looking at him. The sudden shift broke his haze, and he snapped back into reality.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Y-yeah?" He stuttered, embarrassed to have been caught staring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Diamonds, right?" One corner of his mouth twitched upwards. The green-eyed man blushed and turned back to the laptop, nodding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh yeah, right! Diamonds!" He bought some wool then started bridging the gap between their base and the main island. The sharp sounds of players taking damage and the clicks of Skeppy's mouse echoed softly around the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a slight rhythm to it, and Bad started to sing to the rhythm, just one of his little impromptu songs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Building a bridge to find diamonds, diamonds! Building a bridge to spawners, spawners with diamonds, diamonds!" He chanted softly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy couldn't help but smile at the little tune, humming along as he upgraded their gear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They didn't end up winning, but they did get second place. The older wasn't used to placing so high, normally playing alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We did it!" He turned to Skeppy, giving him an eyes-closed smile. His heart gave a flutter, a butterfly stirring up his nerves in the best way possible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah! We did do it, together," He responded with a warm smile of his own. A sudden thought burst into his head, and he couldn't help but blurt it out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're pretty."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a beat of silence, a blush growing on Bad's face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I-I think you're pretty too." He said softly, so softly that Skeppy almost didn't hear it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room grew warmer and their hearts fuller.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two played for hours, until the sun had completely disappeared from the horizon. Bad yawned, forgetting to cover his mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“‘m tired.” He mumbled, leaning back in his chair. His eyelids drooped behind his glasses, hiding bright green.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh shit, I didn't realize how late it was. I'm sorry. Here, do you want me to drive you home or?" Skeppy offered gently. He was still relatively awake, his sleeping schedule was just that bad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Language, anyway, I 'ave something to do before." He yawned again, eyes fully closed now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What is it?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I need to sleep first…" Bad mumbled softly, head dipping lower and then lifting up slowly again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, let's get you home."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But I wanna stay here." Bad whined, his words blending into each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy snickered softly, but his face heated up at the same time. "Bad, you can't be comfortable. That's a dining chair. Come on." He offered a hand to the other man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"D'you want me to leave?" He said with an odd giggle, head tilted so he was looking at the ceiling, green eyes glazed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy turned away, his blush darkening. "Well, no, but-" He turned back to see Bad balancing his phone on his thigh while tapping on it, squinting in the bright light. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’re you doing?” He leaned over to see the small device. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not leaving,” Yawning again, he stretched his arms over his head, one hand brushing over Skeppy’s hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, what?” He asked again, confused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad showed him the screen, a text message between him and his aunt. “I can stay!” He said, almost giddily. “We can have a sleepover, right? Please?" He stretched out the last syllable,  giving Skeppy his cutest eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What the hell was Skeppy supposed to say to that? No?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y-yeah! Uh… you can take the bed if you want.” He offered an awkward smile, gesturing to the bed. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Bad pouted cutely as the computer went into sleep, plunging the two in almost-darkness, the only small source of light coming from Bad's still unlocked phone. “Nu-uh, Mr. Skeppy, it’s a sleepover! We gotta stay up and talk and stuff,” His speech was slightly slurred again, drifting off. “C’mon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're not gonna be able to stay up!" Skeppy protested, Bad dragging him to the bed. He plopped Skeppy down on the edge, then curled up next to the pillow, knees tucked up to his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you know a story?" Bad asked sleepily, rubbing his eye and accidentally knocking his glasses askew. He didn't bother to fix them, letting them sit crooked on his face. Skeppy longed for a light, just so he could see the other's face more clearly, the other's adorableness more-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Uh.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Um.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"W-what story?" He managed to croak out through the lump in his throat, caused by realization.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A story…" The older man mumbled, feeling sleep tug at his consciousness. He let his eyes sink closed, snuggling deeper into the soft comforter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh, once upon a time, there was a prince, who had a friend." It was the most clichè beginning that had ever existed, but even though Skeppy was used to staying up late, he didn't normally stay up with someone else. He laid down carefully to not disturb the curled up pile of Bad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The prince and his friend were happy. They went to the gardens together, had school with each other, did everything together. But one day, an evil witch took the prince away, because, well, he was the prince." The total darkness was enveloping them. Just like a cool breeze. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad hummed, focusing on Skeppy's voice instead of the story accidentally. It was smooth, and soothing, not raspy at all despite the yelling he did earlier. Warmth radiated from the black-haired man, warming Bad from head to toe. Just like a warm hug on a cold day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was cheesy, yes, but he was tired. And Skeppy was talking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"His friend went to the witch and defeated her, letting the prince go free. But the evil witch made the prince forget about his life before, and he didn't remember his friend, or his parents." His voice trailed off, fading to a whisper as Bad's breathing grew even behind him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The story couldn't end there. He continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But the prince's friend stayed with him. Even though the prince didn't remember who he was, exactly, he still wanted to hang out." Clearing his throat, he finished whispering the tale into the darkness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"One day, the prince remembered everything, and his friend became his boyfriend. The end."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The story wasn't realistic, not at all. It was the type of ending that only took place in fairytales, the kind of perfect that would last forever. Still, the words felt strange on his tongue, strange to breathe those words into the air for anyone to hear. Yet it felt so freeing, at the same time, because it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>final</span>
  </em>
  <span>, one thing he was certain of. It wasn't about the story anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was never about the story, was it?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi yes the chapter got too long so I split it in half</p><p>Other bit will be posted soon!</p><p>Also the majority of this chapter was written at 3am</p><p>Still, I hope you liked it!</p><p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Quack</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Dream awoke to a loud, consistent buzzing from his phone. Craning his neck, the clock on his nightstand read 2:45AM. He carefully removed George's arm from where it had been draped over his stomach. Squinting in the bright light, he unlocked the device.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dream</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dream</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Drea.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dream</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I need to ask you simething </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Please</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>r you awakr </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream raised an eyebrow at the almost-perfect spelling. It was definitely crackhead hours for Skeppy, and getting a comprehensible message from him at that time was rare. Whatever it was, it was probably serious, but not life threateningly serious. He smiled sleepily at his deduction, quickly tapping out a response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dream:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy bit his lip. It would be so easy to say 'nevermind', to avoid the topic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But that wouldn't get anyone anywhere, and he knew it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How did you confess to george </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream choked on air, burying his face into his elbow to try to mute his coughing. George turned over in his sleep, facing the wall. After making sure he hadn't woken George up, he turned back to his phone, lowering the brightness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dream:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How do you confess to george </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dream:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What the hell dude</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It's like 3am</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Uh</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>its kidna a long stiry</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>can u call</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Please </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dream:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Uh</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>its kinda late</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But ok</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Incoming call from Skeppy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” Dream shut the door gently behind him, speaking softly into the phone. Clearing his throat to disperse the sleepiness that still lingered, he plopped down on the couch in the living room, closing his eyes in the harsh blue light.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi.” The blonde could hear the uncertainty in Skeppy’s voice, and a small bit of tiredness as well. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, what happened?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Promise not to tell?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Dream confirmed, brows furrowed. He racked his brain for any recollection of Skeppy ever acting this way, but his mind came up with nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think… I… like Bad?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait what?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy glanced over to the sleeping man beside him, curled up and snoring softly. A soft smile grew on his face at the peaceful expression on Bad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I… think I like him. He makes me happy. I want to spend more time with him, always."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream cleared his throat. "Whoa, I’m glad you’re happy but… this is kinda sudden though, isn't it? I mean, just a few weeks ago you were so mad that you punched him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I know, but…" He couldn't help but steal another glance at Bad, running a hand through his fluffy black hair. "We started over. It's fine."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you say so. Still, be a little careful, okay? I don't like seeing my friends hurt." Dream said cautiously, picking his words carefully. He didn't want Skeppy to take it the wrong way, just for him to be careful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I will." He said quietly. "I thought you'd be more surprised."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream shrugged, although Skeppy couldn't see him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You two were close back then, and it doesn’t seem like anything’s changed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do I tell him though? How did you tell George?" He questioned, sitting up straight and propping his chin in his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dream opened his mouth to speak. However, no words came up. He sighed, and spoke again, staring at the tiny specks of light that flickered in the dark sky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't think I can help you. Me and George… we're different than you and Bad. As much as I would like to help, I think you'd be better off trying to figure it out yourself." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy was silent on the other end, distractedly lifting one corner of his comforter over his sleeping friend and fiddling with another.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Skeppy?" Dream called out, knocking Skeppy out of his haze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, uh, sorry. You should go sleep now. See you." Skeppy hung up numbly, letting the device drop onto the bed. He leaned against the wall, letting his head drop against the drywall. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he snuck one more glance at the man beside him. Even in sleep, the corners of his lips curled up gently. Skeppy hoped that he was visiting pleasant dreams, where nothing could harm him. Settling into the spot next to the sleeping man, he tucked a piece of sleep-tousled hair behind his ear, the small sliver of street light bouncing off of it, turning it into a flaming red. Skeppy covered his mouth with a hand, trying not to giggle deliriously at the sight in front of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he drifted off, he could have sworn something warm enveloped him, warmer than the comforter. The warmth radiated out, soaking into his skin. It seemed like sunshine, but it was the middle of the night. Still, it didn't matter what it was. It was warm, cozy, and felt like home. That was all that mattered to him, as he snuggled deeper into Bad's arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad let out a muffled groan as he tried to open his eyes, bright sunlight spilling across the carpeted floor. He nuzzled into the soft black hair in front of his face, still not fully functional. However, a second later, he was, and he realized the position he was in. Skeppy was in his arms, his head tilted so his face was buried in Bad's chest. The position was intimate, and the older man's face heated up into a tomato-like shade of red. He tried to slide his arm out but it was pinned tightly underneath Skeppy, tiny pins and needles prickling at his skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could lay there, or wake up Skeppy. Surely he didn't mean to do something like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey Skeppy?" He stuttered softly, the blush now reaching up to the tips of his ears. "Do you want to wake up?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lightly roused from his sleep, Skeppy clutched a handful of the fabric of Bad's hoodie in his fist, cuddling up to Bad like a small child. In reality, their heights weren't that different. However, when Skeppy curled up, he could fit in just right on Bad's torso like two puzzle pieces made to fit each other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No 'm comfy." Skeppy mumbled into the older man's sweater. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"O-oh," His face felt like it was on fire at this point. "Okay then?" Bad squeaked, his voice cracking in sheer embarrassment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, at the same time, he couldn't deny the bundle of comforting warmth in his arms. Suddenly, the door opened a crack. Skeppy jumped and turned towards the now ajar door, rubbing his eyes while accidentally further tangling his arms into Bad's.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey Skep-" Sapnap poked his head into the room. "Uh…" Pressing a hand to the doorframe,  he stared at the duo on the bed, who was, undeniably, cuddling. They stared back, one painfully embarrassed and the other more shocked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm… just gonna go… I think." All thoughts of the question he was going to ask Skeppy had flown out of his mind, and he backed up into the hallway, closing the door fully behind him. Sapnap leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath. The scene was sudden, but he was happy for them. As he made his way back to the living room, he couldn't help but chuckle. It was almost like fate, how the two had found each other again after so long. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… do that.” Bad apologized, pulling his arm from under Skeppy and sliding off the bed. Hurriedly, he collected his things (which was only his phone that he had left on the desk) and practically ran out with a small wave behind his shoulder. His face was still bright red as he darted out the front door, thankfully not having to pass through the living room. Fumbling with the lock, he pushed the door open and closed it quickly with a click behind him. There wasn’t much he could do about locking it again, but he wasn’t too worried about that. He wasn’t worried about anything except Skeppy at that moment. He leaned against the door, sliding down the white-painted wood until he landed on the concrete porch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What if he did something wrong? Actually, scratch that. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> did something wrong. Friends weren’t supposed to do that. And that was what they were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But what if he wanted something more?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It would probably never happen. Still, it seemed almost natural for him to be with Skeppy. It was like every positive emotion had been enhanced by 100% during their time together. He laughed easier, smiled easier. And when Skeppy brushed his arm against his accidentally, or did that adorable giggle, a warm, melty feeling would wash over him, coming from the place he had touched or seemingly from his heart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What was that feeling?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And was it good or bad?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy watched Bad leave, hearing the front door close a minute later. He watched him go with a blank expression, when in reality he should have stood up and called for him not to. Asked him to stay. With him. Maybe it was selfish, to ask him to stay. It probably was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He still wanted it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually Bad wandered back to his aunt's house, occasionally glancing back over his shoulder as if the house, and Skeppy, would still be there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking down, he dragged his feet on the pavement, a few fallen leaves crushed under his feet. They weren't the dry, crinkly ones that were fun to step on, just yellow-lime leaves that had fallen too soon. Bad picked one up and twirled it between his fingers as he walked, going over the list of tasks that he had to complete that day, just to distract himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would go back home, take a quick shower, take his grandparents and a few boxes to the senior home to get settled in first, then go back and grab the rest of the boxes. The senior home was a decent drive away, about forty-five minutes for a return trip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could concentrate on whatever he was doing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Totally.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ready to go?” Bad asked as his grandmother let him in. She laughed, and picked up one of the smaller boxes in the front hall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ready as I’ll be. Why don’t you help your grandfather out to the car first? He’s just in the living room. I’ll bring some of the smaller ones out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad nodded and made his way through the empty rooms, lightly brushing his hand against the walls. Vague memories crawled back, fragments of family dinners and visits. He smiled at them, welcoming them back. It had been a while since he had remembered anything else, and he was glad that they were still coming. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His grandfather sat in a wheelchair near the doorway of the room, seemingly fiddling with an old phone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Grandpa?” Bad approached him slowly, not wanting to startle him. He looked up, slightly confused at first but then recognizing Bad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is it time to go?” He asked, putting the phone into his shirt pocket. Bad nodded, then grabbed the handles on the wheelchair. His grandfather could walk for short distances, but not very often. Still, it would make getting him into the car that much easier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad pushed him out, letting him take one last look at the house. The wheels on the chair squeaked beneath him as they made their way to the sidewalk. He turned as they went down the front pathway, looking at the place he had lived in for so long. Bad stopped for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he twisted back to sitting upright and facing forward in the chair, Bad continued guiding the wheelchair to the car. This time, they made it, and Bad gently helped him out and into the car, getting him settled. Then, he folded the wheelchair and stashed it in the trunk along with a few boxes, rearranging them to get everything to fit. His grandmother came outside halfway through as well with a few more boxes in her arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At last, they had loaded all the boxes that the car could hold, and they climbed in, Bad to the driver's seat and his grandmother in the back with his grandfather. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The drive was uneventful, his grandparents asking him to change the song occasionally. However peaceful, the drive didn't necessarily keep his mind from wandering just a little bit. There were a few small things, but mainly one thing, all of them connected into a very tangled yarn ball of confusion and that odd pull from his chest, tugging him somewhere he was unsure about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Burying his face into a pillow, Skeppy huffed out a breath, his shoulders dropping as he closed his eyes. Not that it mattered anyway; the pillow blocked out any light from the window. Half of the pillowcase was cool against his face, he had been laying on the other half for some time now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe the darkness was worse. At least when he saw things, he could distract himself. Yet he couldn’t distract himself from it anymore, because he was running out of time. Bad had said that he wasn’t staying permanently, but Skeppy didn’t know when he was leaving. It could be the next day, the next month. He needed to come to terms with what he felt before he left. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What did he feel?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was warm, like gentle rays of sunlight hugging him. It made him feel full, satisfied after a meal. He could relax around Bad. His presence was comforting. He always wanted to spend more time with him. Sometimes he would get flustered, like that morning. Yet he had wanted to stay in Bad’s arms longer. It was like home, familiar in a sense that couldn't be replicated with anything else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could try to deny it, but what good would that do? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Summoning his courage, he typed out a question quickly. Hesitating with his finger over the send button, he stared down at the screen. A small rei of sunshine had fallen over the screen, reflecting the light to a spot on the ceiling. Skeppy looked up at the splotch as if it would give him answers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn't, obviously, but he still looked at it. The man sat there for several minutes, asking himself what would happen. It was such a simple action, just tapping once on a screen, yet it seemed to be the equivalent of chopping down a real tree. He flopped back on the bed again and put an arm on his eyes, the other hand still clutching the phone. Without looking, he randomly jabbed at the screen with a finger, hoping that it would send the message. Somehow, he managed to do it, but not without adding a few more letters which had, presumably, autocorrected into 'quack'. He groaned, almost dropping his phone onto his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least he sent it. But </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span> that's embarrassing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Bad drove back to his grandparents' home (although not really anymore), he drummed his fingers on the wheel. It felt strangely familiar, and it took him a second to realize why. He had done the same thing on his drive to the town, just a few weeks ago. He smiled, thinking of all the things that had changed since that drive. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Memories had been found, friends reconnected with, and so much more. Not all of it was positive, he wasn't sure if the traces of guilt about the forgetting would ever fully leave, but most of it was happy. Being reunited with Sapnap, Dream, and most importantly, Skeppy was </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>positive. Warm, even. They welcomed him back after the initial shock. Bad wanted to spend more time with them, joke around at impromptu hangouts, casual dinners with each other at the local fast food places. His life in the city was dull. He went to work, came home, ate, and played minecraft. Occasionally he would go out, but he was alone. Sure, his colleagues were friendly, but they didn't spend much time with each other, always busy with various projects and work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But with Skeppy… that loneliness went away, like blowing a cloud of smoke into the air, and watching it float higher and higher until it disappeared. It was familiar as well. From all the pieces he had picked up and pieced together, he was always happy when he was with Skeppy. Sure, the younger had annoyed him, but had he ever been actually mad at him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not that he could think of, at least.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The smile slipped from his face as he thought about the upcoming days. He would have to leave the town again, and go back to his ordinary life. It didn't appeal to him, not anymore, but he couldn't just up and leave, he knew that much. Perhaps in the future he could. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pulled into the driveway of the old house, turning the ignition off as he unlocked the front door. The assortment of boxes were still on the floor in the front hall, and he began to carry them into the car, rearranging them so they all fit. The majority of them went into the trunk, while the rest were on the seats, fastened by the seatbelts. As Bad loaded up the last set of brown boxes, he took one last look at the house. It wasn't the most important place for him, but it was for his grandparents. He felt like he had to have something for them from it, but what?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After looking around, there was nothing that seemed to represent the house, so he figured that a picture was the next best thing. He snapped a quick photo, then started the drive back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad walked out of the senior home, a breeze stirring yellow leaves across the ground. The caretakers had assured him that they would be well taken care of, and he was willing to trust them on that. He would stay a few more days, just in case something happened. Just then, his phone dinged, and he stepped into his car, pulling it out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey I have somethign to show you i htink you would like ti quack</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad furrowed his brow, both amused and confused by the 'quack'. Though he had to admit, Skeppy being a duck would be rather adorable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Duck skeppy :D</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What do you have to show me</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy shot up in his bed, breath catching in his throat. There was something exciting about when he could talk to Bad, even with something as simple as responding to a text. Pondering for a moment, he quickly typed back an answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thats a  secert </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>0-o</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ok then</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do we need to mee t somewhere </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Skeppy:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I cango to ur house</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Meemt there?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bad:</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ok but let me get home first</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>:D</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And maybe, just maybe, he went a little heavier on the gas on the way back and an excited grin grew on his face.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Don't get speeding tickets adults</p><p>Sorry for the long wait, a bunch of school stuff came up :P</p><p>Anyways, hope you enjoyed!</p><p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Intertwined</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Bad finally arrived back at the house, he was surprised to see Skeppy already there. The younger man was sitting on the concrete steps, but jumped up as soon as he saw Bad behind the wheel. He parked quickly, then opened the door. The two walked up to each other awkwardly, like they had just met, but then Skeppy grabbed Bad in a hug. The older was surprised (again), but he hugged him back the best he could, seeing as his arms were tightly pinned against his sides. When they gradually let go, both were blushing. Even though they had seen each other only earlier that day, it still felt better to be by the other's side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad cleared his throat. "So what did you want to show me?" There seemed to be no need for any 'hello's or 'how are you's, and Bad was glad for that. They could be awkward sometimes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's a where." Skeppy grinned at him, looking down as he took his hand hesitantly. Bad's eyes widened just the tiniest bit at the contact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"D-do we need to take the car?" He stuttered, the heat traveling from their clasped hands to his face. Skeppy shook his head, fluffy black hair bouncing up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We can walk." The younger began walking, almost dragging Bad along with him. The older man stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk, but luckily Skeppy pulled him upright before he could fall. He squeezed his hand gently, then continued, a little bit slower this time. A pulsing warmth ran up and down his arm, tingling in places. The intention of the touch was clear without words. Bad turned away to hide his blush, pretending to be very interested in a tree across the street. However, he moved his fingers until they fit snugly against Skeppy’s, linking their fingers together. Subconsciously, Skeppy wrapped his hand a little tighter around Bad’s. The rest of the walk was spent in comfortable silence, the younger occasionally rubbing the back of Bad’s hand with his thumb. The little touches left sparks of electricity, making him shiver lightly despite the warm temperature.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Skeppy announced that they were there, Bad was surprised to see a school in front of them. The contrasting red bricks and faded green shingles made a surprisingly pretty front, the walls running back at a gentle angle. A large, reflective window sat next to the main doors. Inside was dark, however there was a pot of fake cornflowers on the windowsill. The whole building looked like it hadn't been used for a while, which was probably true, considering it was the end of summer vacation. A light breeze had picked up, ruffling their hair as they stood in front of the building, hands still intertwined.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you remember this place?" Skeppy asked softly, just barely heard above the breeze. Bad stared at it, long and hard, but nothing came to mind. He shook his head slowly. Skeppy smiled at him,and squeezed his hand again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's fine. Come over here." His hand fell out of Bad's hold, and the older had to restrain himself from reaching out for it again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy led the way around the outside of the school to the side, where he stopped in front of</span>
</p><p>
  <span>another window. Beckoning for Bad to join him, they rubbed some dust off the glass, creating small peepholes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Inside was a classroom, familiar to Bad. Even though some aspects of it had changed, it was undeniably the same room. The heavy oak bookcases at the back of the room, a whiteboard at the front of the room and a blackboard running along the far wall. Remnants of dusty chalk lingered on the blackboard, unable to be wiped away. Neat rows of desks spread across the room, still in much of the same positions. There were changes of course; the numerous posters had been moved and replaced, the small area rug had also been removed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know this place!" Bad exclaimed, excited to finally see something that he remembered. Skeppy looked back at him, face a mixture of surprise and happiness as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you remember?” He asked eagerly. Bad stayed quiet for a moment, seemingly trying to fish the memories out from where they had surfaced. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s… where we went to school right?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A huge grin broke out onto Skeppy’s face. “You knew!” Wrapping the older in a hug again, he bounced up onto his toes, almost knocking him over. Bad regained his balance, and grumbled, although he hugged Skeppy back as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You muffinhead, I’m gonna remember </span>
  <em>
    <span>some</span>
  </em>
  <span> things.” He murmured, a blush once again creeping up to his cheeks. That seemed to be happening more and more often, for some reason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still,” Skeppy let out a happy giggle. “There’s something else as well.” Taking Bad’s hand again, he led them away from the school, and towards the singular tree on the field. It was almost directly in the middle, branches spreading out over the surrounding soccer posts, a stark white against the rest of the green (and yellowing) scenery. As they approached the tree, everything else faded into a hushed background.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy leaned over, peering at the worn trunk of the tree. He ran his fingers through the indents, looking for a specific set of letters. Bad watched curiously from behind, tilting his head to the side. After a while of searching, Skeppy pointed to a small circle surrounded by a heart at the base where it met with a root. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look!” Bad did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bbh+S</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>BFFs</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(bfs!)</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last set of letters were done on the outside of the circle, but within the heart. The engraving must have been done years and years ago, but yet it was still there. Still standing after everything that had happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is the first time I’ve come here since… y’know. I didn’t really want to see it without you.” Skeppy admitted, standing back up and dusting his pants off. Bad tore his eyes away from the small heart, focusing back on the man in front of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy’s head shot up. “Dude, you have nothing to apologize for.” He offered a wide smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could do this, right here, right now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad bit his lip, an inner turmoil beginning to boil up. It rose rapidly in his chest, trapped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He needed to do this, right here, right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I-” “I have something-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both spoke at the same time, then laughed, their words getting jumbled up. Bad’s was nervous; he wished he didn’t have to leave, but it would be an absolute disaster if he left without saying anything, </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He didn't, </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn't,</span>
  </em>
  <span> lose Skeppy's trust again. It was still fragile, but growing stronger by the day. Telling him might weaken it, but not telling him at all would shatter it. That didn't make it any easier, though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can go first.” Bad told Skeppy, delaying the inevitable for just a moment longer. Skeppy stared down at the toes of his shoes, silent for a moment before speaking softly. He had had a rough outline of what he should’ve said, but every single word of that had flown out of his head, leaving him to stutter a few times before saying something that just vaguely expressed what he meant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y’know, I like you a lot,” He murmured. “Maybe I can say I love you as well?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The storm settled down for a split second in Bad’s stomach, and his breath hitched in his throat. Without hesitation, his brain had accepted, but he had to shake that part off. He had to be considerate. Who knew if they could make a long-distance relationship work, or if Skeppy even wanted one?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… I would say yes, one hundred percent, but…” He let the words emerge slowly, feeling a lump come up into his throat. “I’m leaving soon. As in three days.” The lines of everything around them were blurring into a mess of colour. Suddenly, the breeze felt welcoming, blowing into his eyes and drying his tears as he struggled not to cry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A warm hand rested on his shoulder as he looked down at the smear of green under his feet. Skeppy was in front of him, with a look so </span>
  <em>
    <span>caring</span>
  </em>
  <span> it made Bad want to fall into the safety of his arms and never let go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bad, it’s gonna be okay. I’m saying this as either your friend or your boyfriend.” His voice was soothing, and Bad could concentrate on that instead of their limited time together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s gonna be okay.” They had drifted into one another, Bad gripping Skeppy’s hoodie in clenched fists as the younger held him close. Heartbeats in unison, Bad sniffled into the cloth, tears coming to a stop as he was rocked gently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I be your boyfriend?” Skeppy looked down at Bad, who looked so vulnerable that any little thing could break him, and felt his heart surge with a sense of protection, to protect Bad. He pecked the other’s forehead and smiled down at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course. We’ll make the most of our time together, don’t worry. And when you do have to leave, we’ll call each other every single day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you pinky promise?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I pinky promise.” They linked their pinky fingers, then the rest of their fingers as they sat down against the rough bark of the tree, the breeze lifting their minds up as they stared at the sky, daydreaming about each other. It was more than peaceful, they could have easily spent hours simply sitting together, hands laced together, if only they had more time together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, they had to leave the tree; both were hungry from the walk there and the time where they would normally eat lunch had long since passed. As they set down the sidewalk to the nearby diner, their shoulders bumped together lightly, an unintentional, occasional reminder that they would be there for the other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Table for two?" The waitress asked them as they stepped into the diner. They nodded and she showed them to a booth next to a side window, sunlight scattered on the seats. Sliding into one side of the booth, they flipped through the menu. Skeppy recommended the burger and fries special, so they got the same thing, Bad drumming the fingers of his left hand on the table as his right hand was still intertwined with Skeppy's. The waitress brought out their food a few minutes later, and they reluctantly let go of each other's hands, still sitting shoulder to shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The meal was filled with comfortable chatter, although Skeppy pushed a few of Bad's buttons. The conflicts were forgotten minutes later, returning back to the loving conversations. Being able to express their affection in physical forms put a permanent smile on both of their faces. Gentle nudges and heads leaned against shoulders felt as natural as breathing. Skeppy suddenly reached out and stole one of Bad's fries off the plate, biting into it and giggling at the slight betrayal mixed with the adoration on the older's face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, that's not very nice!" He bit the other end of the fry, lips brushing over the younger's hand. His heart seemed to stutter for a second as Bad pulled away with a smug, but sweet, smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's what you get, Mr. Skeppy." He pretended to huff, turning back to the rest of his burger. The sunlight streaming through the window lit up his reddish-brown hair, turning it fully red like a flame ignited by the sun itself. Skeppy looked back down at his meal as well, a bright blush covering his cheeks as his knuckles tingled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After arguing about who would pay the bill- each insisting that they could do it (ultimately, Skeppy paid for the meal and Bad left a big tip), they exited the diner and into the street once again, adjusting to the welcome breeze. The streets were quiet except for a few teenagers passing by across the road. Bad turned to Skeppy with a nervous smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you for taking me here. You really didn't have to."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The younger waved him off. "No worries. We were both hungry anyway." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad couldn't help but notice Skeppy's lips as the younger ran his tongue over the bottom unconsciously. They looked soft and… well...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can I kiss you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Skeppy was caught off guard by the question. Flustered, he ran a hand through his hair, giggling slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh, I mean, sure, of course!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bad inched closer to Skeppy until their faces were no more than an inch apart, noses brushing against each other. Subconsciously, they leaned in, meeting the other's lips with their own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The kiss was not intense, but gentle and passionate in its own way. A wave of pure love crashed over them as they wrapped arms around waists and traced jawlines with gentle fingers, lips still locked together. Time seemed to both slow down and speed up at the same time, limiting their time together yet allowing them more. The sun shone on their backs, just warm enough for them to not get chilled by the breeze. The moment was warm, and the kiss brought with it a sense of finally coming home to both men.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually they came up for air, staring into each other's eyes with a soft, breathless smile mirrored on their faces. They stood like that for a few minutes, not caring who saw them or what they thought. Nothing else mattered except for each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love you Bad." Cheeks still tinted a bright pink, Skeppy broke the silence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love you too, Skeppy."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Fluff :D</p><p>Hope you liked it!</p><p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And that's the first chapter! I'm still figuring some things out so please bear with me in the meantime :)</p><p>I'm very excited to write this!</p><p>Hope you have a good day, I'm gonna go sleep now</p><p>-Diamond_Sylvie</p></blockquote></div></div>
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